


I Feel...

by verfound



Category: Petite Princess Yucie
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 01:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 66,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2006175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verfound/pseuds/verfound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feelings are funny things. You could go through a hundred in just as many days or the blink of an eye.  [For 100 Moods challenge.  Originally posted on the Pit July 2013.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ...like I Don't Belong Here

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I started this back in 2010. It was my freshman year, and I wanted a low-key writing project to keep me sane when I needed to destress from school. Three years later, and I’ve actually completed all one hundred themes – I don’t think I’ve ever actually completed a themes challenge before, so I’m kinda proud of this. I’ll be starting my senior year in the fall, so I guess I’ll have to find a shorter theme list to occupy the slot this will leave? xD (Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve got my senior thesis to worry about writing – ain’t nobody got time for fanfic! xP )
> 
> Anyway, on a more serious note: Following the themes of Ehl Jay’s 100 Moods comm. Spoiler-free as long as you’re current. Post-series, starting right after Arc and Yucie return from the Magical World and carrying throughout their lives – so yes, there will be eventual character death. I did throw some crap their way, so I’ll try to warn for triggers in the appropriate bits; I’m going to be uploading these five at a time. They were written out of order and pieced together, then edited as a whole. Also, a few OCs pop up, as you will with a story like this (children, etc.).

**Satisfied**

The afternoon had been hectic, to say the least. After waking up in the amphitheatre to find the other four princess alive and well, the group had made their way back to the palace. There had been tears and shouts as the fathers were reunited with the daughters they had presumed lost, and Queen Erlsel was quick to relocate them to a sitting room in the palace so Yucie and Arc could tell them what had happened in the Magical World. Yucie had sat sandwiched between Arc and her father, who wasn’t quite ready to fully relinquish her into the prince’s care just yet. Arc hadn’t minded – he knew the man was fiercely protective of his daughter, and after everything that had happened…well, he imagined he would be terrified of being too far from his daughter, too, if she had been gallivanting around in as many life-threatening situations as Yucie had that day. Still, the prince refused to leave her other side throughout the afternoon and into the evening. As she related their story, he held tight to her hand. When she got to the truth of the Great Magician and found her voice catching on sobs, he readily took her into his arms as she cried. The others gave her the time she needed, and when her tale was done they explained what happened the night leading up to their decision to force the Tiara upon her. And once those tales were done, it was time to fill the fathers in on what had transpired over the past year. It was a long afternoon followed by a long evening filled with tears, laughter, and good company. Servants had brought a light dinner to the room, and as conversation continued it was decided that the kings and princesses would remain in the palace for the night. Deciding the girls would probably appreciate some time alone, the fathers and stewards took their leave to rooms the queen had prepared for them. Gunberd was the last to leave, and that was only after he had fallen asleep and Queen Erlsel had forced him from the room.

 

Arc had remained with the princesses – or, really, with Yucie. She had remained tucked against his side throughout the evening, and he was perfectly content with keeping her there. Really…he was all too aware of how close he had come to losing her, between the battle with Diabolos and the encounter with the Great Magician. He watched her as she related a story to the others, her hands moving animatedly as she described something that had occurred during a part-time job, and his eyes lazily drifted over her face. It was full of so much light and life, and it chilled him to think he had almost lost that. Almost. And before they had even had a chance to…

 

But almost. And that was the operative word there, wasn’t it? She was fine, safe, and they’d have plenty of time for…well. There would be time to sort that out later, and he knew they had a lot that needed sorting. He was sick of this dance they kept up around each other, and now that the Platina Princess had been selected and there was no need for a curse anymore…well, she would start growing. She would look like an adult soon, and they…

 

He forced the thoughts out of his mind and focused instead on her tale. There would be plenty of time for such things later. At the moment, he was just grateful to be sitting next to her.

 

Exhaustion eventually took over the group who still had not left the room. The others were steadily dropping off, and soon Arc found he was the only one still awake. He could feel the weariness of the day calling him to sleep, but he wasn’t quite ready to give in yet. He could blame it on the adrenaline from earlier, but really…he glanced down at Yucie and smiled. He just wanted to stay awake, just a little longer, to enjoy this moment. He pulled her closer and slid down the sofa they were resting on until he was nearly reclining. She was snuggled against his chest, and he was lazily drawing a hand through her hair. He didn’t remember dozing off, but he knew he must have. When he looked at her next, she was staring at him with wide eyes that reflected a fear he easily recognized and knew didn’t belong there. He could feel her shaking against him, and he wondered if that was what had woken him.

 

“Yucie?” he asked quietly. He reached up and laid a hand against her cheek, and she took an unsteady breath as her eyes slipped closed. She seemed…relieved. She laid back against him and snuggled close, her arms wrapping tightly about his middle. “Hey. Hey, now. What’s wrong?”

 

“You’re alive,” she whispered. He frowned but said nothing. Of course he was, thanks to her. She had made sure of that. She pressed closer to him, her nose squished against his chest, as if she couldn’t get close enough. As if his being there was the only thing that would prove to her he was real.

 

“Yucie, what happened?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he hedged a guess. “Nightmare?”

 

“I didn’t make it in time,” she said. Her voice was muffled against him and low, but he could still make out her words. “And you died. You…but you’re alive. I made it. And they’re alive. Everyone’s ok.”

 

“Yes. Everyone’s fine,” he affirmed, and she leaned up to look at him. She still looked so unsure, so scared…without thinking, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. It wasn’t the usual mocking kiss he gave her. It was softer, gentler…she could feel his concern and reassurance in the simple kiss. His lips grazed along her skin, sliding down to press against her cheek and then back by her ear, where he hovered just a moment. “You saved everyone, Yucie. We’re all fine.”

 

“Arc...” she breathed, and she pressed her face into his neck. “I was so scared. You almost…you were dying, and I couldn’t do anything. Queen Erlsel wouldn’t even let me see you. And then Magazerent showed us that image of you…I didn’t think I would make it in time. And you…Arc, you can’t die, ok?”

 

“I’m not going to, Yucie. Not yet, at least,” he quipped, but she shook her head.

 

“Don’t joke, you big dummy,” she said. “You can’t die. I…you’re important, Arc. To a lot of people, but to me, too. I don’t know what I’d do if you…I need you to stick around.”

 

“I told you I’d wait for you, Yucie,” he quietly reminded her, and he felt her lips quirk against his skin.

 

“I’m sorry I’m making you wait longer,” she said, but he shook his head.

 

“You’re worth it,” he said, causing her to stare at him. The lighting was low, but he would swear she was blushing. “I told you I’d wait, and I meant it. I still do. I’m going to wait for you, Yucie, because you’re important, too. To me. So you stick around, too, ok?”

 

“I can do that,” she said, her lips quirked in a wry smile. He grinned and settled back against the sofa, tugging her back to him.

 

“Good. Now that that’s settled, get some sleep,” he said. She went to protest, but he shushed her. “You’re exhausted, Forehead. I’m exhausted. Let’s sleep, and we’ll talk later, ok? We need to talk.”

 

“Ok,” she said. He nodded, satisfied with her response, and leaned down to place another quick kiss on her forehead. She slapped him, and he chuckled as he gave her a squeeze. It wasn’t long before they were both asleep again.

 

**Stressed**

“Stop fidgeting,” he said, glancing sideways at her. Her hands smoothed over the skirt of the dress they’d put her in again, flattening imaginary wrinkles. He rolled his eyes and snatched at a hand, pulling it up to his lips to place a kiss against its back. “Yucie, calm down.”

 

She had frozen when he had taken her hand, and now she was watching him with wide eyes. He gave her a pointed look, but it seemed to do nothing but agitate her more. She tried to snatch her hand back, but he held fast. He gave it a squeeze that was meant to be reassuring but he felt was actually anything but. At wit’s end, he finally sighed and slumped back against the sofa they were waiting on.

 

The others had left earlier that morning, each eager to return to their home worlds and the celebrations bound to ensue. He knew his mother was planning a celebratory ball later in the week that was doubling as a coronation of sorts for Yucie. That, among other things, was one of the reasons the queen had asked her and Gunberd to stay for lunch. She had wanted to speak with them both (and, judging from the pointed look she’d sent her son, him as well) about what the near future would hold.

 

He wondered if Yucie had truly felt the ordeal with the Tiara would be over once she was crowned and her wish made. She should have realized it wouldn’t be that simple – especially if she was planning on sticking around him, and though they hadn’t had a chance to discuss it yet (they’d barely had two minutes alone since returning from the Magical World, and it wasn’t exactly a conversation he wanted to have with an audience)…he was hoping she did. He was planning on keeping her around, at least, and he thought the feeling was mutual.

 

He kicked the traitorous thought and flash of fear aside and squeezed her hand again.

 

“Calm down,” he said. “It’s just lunch.”

 

“Lunch and another interrogation,” she grumbled, and Gunberd – who had remained silent on the chair across from them this entire time – laughed.

 

“You act like Erlsel is your own personal firing squad, Yucie,” he said. Yucie groaned and slumped against the sofa.

 

“She’s the queen, and she wants to _talk_ – she might as well be!” she said, and Arc laughed. She shot him a petulant glare, and he grinned at her.

 

“You’re forgetting, Forehead. She may be your principal and queen, but she’s _my_ mother. I grew up with the ‘firing squad’,” he quipped. “You’re getting yourself worked up over nothing. Now relax.”

 

She looked like she wanted to say something to argue that, but she held her tongue. She looked back to the door the queen would be walking through any minute and bit her lower lip. She almost looked like she was awaiting a death sentence of sorts, which he found ridiculous.

 

“Yucie,” he said, and she started at the use of her proper name. She looked back to him, and he gave her his best encouraging smile. “Relax. It’s just my mother. You’ve talked to her how many times before this? You’ll be fine. She just wants to talk about what will be expected of you now that you’re princess.”

 

“But that’s just it, Arc,” she said, her voice suddenly quiet. She looked back to her skirt, which shimmered sky blue in the sunlight streaming in from the balcony doors. The gown was simple but absolutely fetching on her – understated enough to still be elegant, yet suiting her perfectly. She had wanted to stay in her clothes, but the maids had insisted. If she was to be dining with the queen and crown prince, she had to look the part. She had eventually acquiesced, and he loved the results. He noticed her eyes had slid off the skirt and towards the floor – anywhere but him. It stung a little, if he was being honest.

 

“I’m not a princess,” she said. Her entire body was tense, shaking slightly with an urge he was all too familiar with. He could see it in her shielded eyes and tense posture: run. Get away. Anywhere but this prison of a palace with its farces of pleasantries. “I’m just me. A country girl. I’m not royalty. I don’t belong here. And –”

 

“Yucie, stop it,” he said firmly, and she jumped again as she finally looked at him. She was surprised by whatever she saw in his eyes, and he wondered if he looked as angry as he felt. “You are a princess in every right. The Eternal Tiara chose you as its rightful owner, making you the true Platina Princess.”

 

“And you do belong here, Yucie. I may have chosen the life of a farmer, but I am still nobility. You claim that title as well through me,” Gunberd chimed in. Yucie looked like she wanted to argue, but Arc grabbed her hands and the words died in her throat.

 

“More than that, I’m here. And nobility, royalty, or not, you belong with me. So if I’m here, you should be here, too. Your being a princess just makes it all a bit easier for others to swallow,” he said, and he couldn’t resist throwing a wink in. Her face turned scarlet at his declaration, or maybe it was at the way her father was chuckling at his boldness. He brought her hands to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles. Her blush deepened, and he grinned at her. “So stop stressing yourself out, relax, and enjoy lunch in your future home.”

 

“You, highness, are quite the cocky young lad,” Gunberd said, and the prince shot him a grin.

 

“I’ve always been told it’s a trait necessary for ruling a kingdom,” he quipped, and the laugh from the door caused him to jump in guilty alarm.

 

“Actually, I believe I always added an ‘in moderation’ to that statement,” Erlsel commented, and Gunberd laughed harder. “I agree, Gunberd. He is entirely too cocky. A trait he rather unfortunately inherited from his father.”

 

“Mother,” Arc whined, and Yucie giggled at how put out he sounded. He glanced back at her and grinned, squeezing her hands again.

 

“I’m sorry to keep you all waiting,” Erlsel said, ignoring her son’s remark. “Yucie, you look lovely in that gown. Gunberd, you’re as handsome as ever. Aero…dear, didn’t you brush your hair?”

 

“Mother!” he cried, and Yucie snatched her hands back to clap them other her mouth as she choked on a laugh. Erlsel’s grin grew.

 

“Now that Yucie’s comfortable again, why don’t we have lunch? It’s been set up in the garden, which is just lovely this time of year. Shall we go?” she asked. Gunberd rose and extended an arm.

 

“My Queen,” he said cordially. Arc was amazed to see a light blush on his mother’s face as she took the hero’s arm. Arc stood and held out his hand. Yucie smiled and took it, allowing him to help her up, but he didn’t let go as he led her after their parents.

 

“Glad to see you’ve relaxed,” he whispered to her. He rolled his eyes and gave her a long-suffering look. “Even if it is at my expense.”

 

**Blank**

Sir Gunberd had abandoned the life of a noble when he had found the baby Yucie orphaned on the battlefield, so though she had grown up with the title of nobility she had never truly lived a noble life. Until her admittance to the Princess Academy, she had never really been exposed to anything other than a simple, country life. She couldn’t complain about it. She was truly grateful for her life and wouldn’t trade it for anything. (…well, now that she had survived the trials of the Platina Princess and was finally growing, that is.)

 

It was times like this, however, where she started to think maybe she could. Being thrust into the life of nobility was one thing; being thrust into the life of royalty was another matter altogether. Overnight she went from being a simple farm girl to a noble, and barely a blink later she was not only the Platina Princess but – for all appearances – the next queen of Erlsel, as well. (She would never admit this, of course, but it seemed everyone else was all too ready to say she was as good as engaged to the Crown Prince.)

 

Within her first week of her second year at the Princess Academy (which was barely two weeks since she became Platina Princess), Queen Erlsel had called her into her office. They had discussed a myriad of topics all relating to the same overarching subject: now that Yucie was a princess and future queen (which she had not been allowed to protest, no matter how red her face got), she had to be prepared for the role. This naturally meant additional lessons outside of the regular classroom curriculum, which Queen Erlsel seemed to think dolefully insufficient for a proper preparation for society.

 

(After being so quickly cut off from protesting her place as the queen’s inevitable successor, she didn’t dare question why she was even attending the Academy again if that was the case.)

 

The queen had quickly secured a series of tutors and arranged a schedule, which lead Yucie to her first day of after-school ‘Royalty Lessons’. She hadn’t even been there half an hour yet, and she felt as if her brain was about to start dribbling out her ear. The older gentleman – Sir Humphrey, if she was recalling correctly – prattled on and on about…gods, was he still talking about posture? She blinked, her eyes taking on a glazed look, and she didn’t notice he had vanished until he appeared behind her. She squeaked as he grabbed a shoulder and pulled back while pushing her back out.

 

“Stand up _straight_ , highness!” he barked before he turned to prattle on some more. She couldn’t help but wonder exactly how many of these lessons she’d be required to go to.

 

**Devious**

“You know, I never got to thank you,” she commented. He glanced at her, curiosity in his eyes. She was walking along an old, worn down, low-lying stone fence, her arms raised to help her balance. With the help of the fence, she was almost as tall as he was. He shook the thoughts from his head – they would be more appropriate later – he turned his attention back to her.

 

“For what?” he asked, and she gave him a smile.

 

“For the flowers,” she said. When he continued to look lost, she frowned. “The bouquet of sunset brights? The ones you sent me for my graduation? In all the insanity that followed, I never got to thank you.”

 

“I didn’t send you any flowers,” he said, and she stopped walking to gawk at him.

 

“W-what? But then…who did?” she asked, and he shrugged.

 

“Someone else who knows what your favorite flower is?” he questioned. He folded his arms over his chest and gave her an appraising look. “Though I have to admit…now I’m curious. I’d like to know who thought it was appropriate to send you flowers.”

 

“Really,” she said, mirroring his pose. She frowned as she looked at some indeterminate spot between them. “I would have sworn it was you, because…well, they were sunset brights. I thought…but it wasn’t you?”

 

“Should I be jealous, Forehead? Do you have some admirer I should know about? It’s probably best to know about my competition,” he smirked at her as he said this, but she missed the teasing look in his eyes as she contemplated who could have possibly wanted to send her flowers. It stung, knowing they weren’t from him…she had loved the bouquet because of that. The flowers felt tainted now.

 

“I would say it was Papa, but he would have told me,” she said. She huffed, her lip sticking out in an adorable pout. “Man, this is gonna bug me now!”

 

“Oh, relax,” he said, reaching up to poke her forehead. She jumped and looked at him, surprise registering in her eyes. He looked entirely too pleased with himself. “You’re so easy to mess with. Of course I sent them. It’s our flower, isn’t it? I should be the only one sending them to you.”

 

“What…Arc, you big jerk!” she cried, slapping his arm. He laughed and caught her hand as she went to slap him again. He brought it to his mouth and kissed the back, making her blush. “So…they were from you, then?”

 

“Of course,” he said. He winked at her. “And you’re welcome.”

 

She just smiled and turned back to the path ahead of them. She continued her trek along the wall, and he smiled as he followed after her. She riled entirely too easily, much to his enjoyment.

 

**Cold**

The castle was large, old, and drafty. It took Yucie ages to get used to this fact. In the morning, under three blankets of luxurious quality, she was fine. When she left the safety of her blanket cocoon, however, she found herself chilled to the bone the moment her feet touched the hardwood floors.

 

Her fourth weekend in the palace found her under such a blanket cocoon with a refusal to remove herself from its warm depths. The sun was steadily creeping up the sky, warming the air, but there was still a crisp chill that told of late autumn. She knew the floor would still be as ice, and she dreaded ‘waking’ with everything in her. A knock sounded at her door, and she refused to risk the floor to answer it. The knock sounded again, and when she still refused to answer she heard the door open.

 

“Yucie?” Arc called, and she peeked out of her blankets to see his head sticking into the room. He grinned when he saw her glaring at him from under the blankets and entered the room, quickly striding over to sit on the bed beside her. “What on earth would Mother say about this? It’s nearly noon, and you’re still in bed!”

 

“I am not getting up,” she said. He quirked a brow at her, and she burrowed deeper into her blankets. “Arc, it’s cold! I’m not leaving my blankets!”

 

He chuckled at her whine, and she screeched as he lifted the blankets and let some of the cold air in. The blankets quickly lowered again as he scooted under them with her. She squeaked as he pulled her back against him, but any protests died on her lips as she realized how warm he was.

 

“Well, if the princess is cold, who am I to order her up and about?” he asked. He kissed her cheek, and she couldn’t help the blush as she realized how they must look. “I’ll just have to stay here and warm you up.”


	2. ...like I'm Going Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a TBW for this batch, I think. Some PTSD-esque happenings here.

**Indifferent**

There was something about the rain.

 

When it fell in sheets like this, strong enough to soak you through but steady enough for its pounding to be soothing. Or at least it should have been soothing. To anyone but her it probably was. The steady pound caused chills to reverberate through her just as the thunder did the black clouds. She jumped on occasion, but it had nothing to do with the lighting that lit the upper levels of sky. It was storms like that that caused her to fall into a trance-like state that made her wander. She knew it wasn’t good, wasn’t safe – she had been fortunate Arc was with her the time she had unwittingly wandered into the street and, if not for him, would have been run down by a carriage – but she couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t shake the feeling of…

 

She didn’t even want to name it. Insurmountable loss. Soul-aching pain. That feeling that she had lost something that should never have been lost and…

 

And there it was, the real crux of the matter. She remembered all too well that crushing feeling, and it was that same fear that overcame her and made her do crazy things every time she heard the rain.

 

Like how she knew it was crazy – dangerous, stupid – to stand out in the storm like this, arms and legs bare as the freezing drizzle pelted her skin. It was unseasonably cold, and she found this rain had an almost numbing effect. She reveled in it. In a twisted way, it made her feel…alive.

 

She hated that.

 

She hated how her friends had all seemed to move on with their lives, gladly accepting the lot that had been handed them. She had gotten them back, so surely everything was ok now, right? But she couldn’t escape that nagging that told her all was not well, that trouble was lurking just around the corner….most days she could ignore it. Most days she could laugh off her discontent with a brilliant smile and dub her paranoia as delusions of an overtaxed mind. Most days, but not on the days like this. Not on the days where she felt the world a bit too keenly, like pinpricks on her skin. Not on the days where she remembered too deeply what they had made her do, what had almost come to pass because of her.

 

So she stood in the rain, face and palms turned towards heaven as the skies poured their tears upon her. Her sundress was soaked through and clung to her like a second skin, rain running little rivers down her arms and legs. She could breath deep, her lungs filling painfully with too much air. Her bare toes squished in the mud and grass, the slick cold only increasing that icy feeling chasing down her back. Her eyes were closed. If she just fell back, against the grass…

 

“Yucie!”

 

Warmth crashed into her like that first painful breath after too long underwater, flooding over and surrounding her in an embrace that she knew should be welcomed. On any other day would have been. But on that day, she heard Arc scolding her like he was far away down a long tunnel, distant and muted and barely discernible through the haze that had become her mind. She felt, or thought she felt, him shaking her. She kept her face towards the sky, the rain stinging her now-open eyes. She didn’t react when his large hands grasped her cheeks and pulled her face towards him. A part of her mind disconnected from the rest noticed the terrified look in his eyes, heard the earnest plea in his voice, but it wasn’t enough to bring her back to him. It wasn’t enough to make her forget that – despite it all – she shouldn’t be there. Shouldn’t…shouldn’t…

 

It had rained like this on that day, too.

 

**Restless**

Ideally, everything should have been fine upon their return from the crumbling Magical World. The other Princess Candidates were back, Yucie’s memories had been restored with them, he wasn’t dying, and the problem of the Eternal Tiara and the Great Magician seemed solved. All in all, things should have been fine – perfect, even. The curse was broken, the girls would start growing, and sooner than they knew he would be claiming Yucie as his queen and starting on that happily ever after bit all the tales promised.

 

Ideally. Should have. Which meant, he should have realized much sooner, things would be very far from what they had all expected.

 

The girls were growing well enough, they were actually enjoying their return to the Princess Academy, and Yucie was even settling into the palace perfectly (as he knew she would). The other four seemed fine, but if he was being honest there was something going on with the princess he was most concerned with. He hadn’t noticed anything until a week or so after the Final Scene, when they had been walking through the city. It had started raining, and when he had grabbed for her hand to pull her towards shelter he had noticed she was…gone. He had looked about in a panic before he saw her walking straight into the path of an oncoming carriage. He had been terrified, and he remembered speaking harshly towards her, only she didn’t seem to even realize what she had been doing. She had only blinked at him, apologized, and continued along their way like nothing had happened. When he had asked her friends about it, they had acted nervous – almost guilty – and had hesitantly told him about a few incidents the week before, each time during a rainstorm. The incident in town had been the worst by all reports, and suddenly he found himself on edge every time it rained.

 

It wasn’t so bad when Yucie was near him, when he could keep her inside and oblivious to the storm outside. When he could keep an eye on her and know she was safe. But when the storms popped up like this and she was nowhere to be found…

 

He hurried through the palace, nervous energy nearly making him twitch as he frantically searched for her. Ten minutes later, he paused in a breezeway when a nasty fork of lightning illuminated the garden beyond, and in the darkness he saw Yucie standing there with her face turned towards the sky. He shouted her name as he hopped through an arch and ran towards her. He hit his knees beside her and pulled her into a fierce hug, but she was completely unresponsive. He was yelling, partially because of his fear and partially because of the howl of the wind, but still she refused to acknowledge him. He grabbed at her face and forced her to look at him. Her eyes were blank, glassy, and an entirely new height of fear gripped him. It was getting worse, whatever this was. He was gripped with that feeling again, the one that screamed at him to fight, to run, to do _something_ before she was taken from him for good. Before he lost her forever. But what could he do when he didn’t even know what this was?

 

She looked so lost. So scared. Like she had the day he found her at the amphitheater, searching in the rain for the lost friends she couldn’t even remember.

 

“Something’s…not right,” she finally said, her voice small and hollow. She reached up and placed a hand against her temple. “In here. Something’s not right.”

 

“We’ll fix it, Yucie. Whatever’s wrong, we’ll fix it,” he vowed, but she looked so uncertain. He pulled her back towards him, again crushing her in a hug. “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it.”

 

**Crazy**

“I feel like I’m going crazy.”

 

She was sitting on the floor by the fireplace in his room, cocooned in a fuzzy blue blanket. Her sundress hung over the arm of the chair beside her, drying in the warmth of the fire. He had the curtains drawn to block out the storm, but she would still jump with every crash of thunder or flicker of lightning. He had just reentered the room after flagging down a passing servant, who he had sent to find his mother and the healer. He went over to her, kneeling beside her and pulling her back against his chest. She snuggled against him, seeming like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. Given her size, it wasn’t that difficult.

 

“You’re not going crazy. Something’s wrong, is all. You’re sick,” he offered, and she scoffed.

 

“A sickness that only presents during storms? I…it’s like every time, I go back to that day. What kind of sickness would do that?” she mumbled, and he placed a kiss against the crown of her head.

 

“I don’t know, Yucie, but we’re going to figure it out. Everything will be fine. You’ll see,” he said, and she hummed as she continued to stare into the fire.

 

“We did leave, didn’t we? We made it out of the Magical World, and Magazerent and I got my friends back, and…oh, gods, I’m not still there, am I?” she whispered. He held her tighter, wishing nothing more than to chase those fears away. They were ludicrous. Of course she made it out, and everything was fine, and…

 

“But what if I didn’t? Gods, what if I never even left the first time? Then you’re actually dead, and they’re dead, and…I’m going crazy,” she whispered, and he shook her gently.

 

“Yucie, stop it. You’re not going crazy, though you’re driving me there. You made it out. I’m alive. They’re alive. You’re alive. Nobody’s dead here, all right?” he asked. She turned in his arms and knelt between his knees. The blanket slipped down, revealing a bare shoulder, and he forced himself to look away before he conceded to something…inappropriate. She reached up and placed her palm on his cheek, and he turned startled eyes back to her.

 

“I feel so lost,” she said. “All I can hear is rain, and there’s…there’s this wall. And it’s got all these cracks in it, but it’s not completely down. And you…you feel real. I’m on the right side of the wall, right? Gods, I’m so confused…I wish it would just stop raining.”

 

“Come here,” he said, and before she could protest he pulled her towards him. “You’re right here, all right? You’re going to be fine. I’m not giving up on you, Forehead. I’m not.”

 

“I’m so tired, Arc,” she whispered, and he kissed her forehead.

 

“Then sleep,” he said, and she curled against him.

 

“Stay with me ‘til then?” she asked, her voice letting him know it wouldn’t be long until she was out.

 

“Of course,” he said. His voice dropped, coming out as barely a whisper when he next spoke. “I’ll always stay with you, Yucie. I’m never leaving you again.”

 

**Hopeful**

_“You were under a curse until just recently, yes?”_

_“Any other spells?”_

_“Well, that’s it, then. The spell was not broken cleanly – you have residual magic built up, specifically around your memories. The sound of the storms acts as a trigger, and then the spell tries to reassert itself.”_

_“Oh, you’ll be fine, Highness. Drink this, and in a few days the magic should be completely out of your system.”_

_“I’m not surprised it happened at all, actually. You’ve been through some very traumatic events, Princess. And if that spell broke as violently as you claim, it’s no wonder there were complications.”_

 

She’d be fine. It was all an after-effect from Magazerent’s memory spell, and now that the healer had given her that potion…so by the next storm, she should be fine. Everything was all right. Everything –

 

She jumped as Arc’s hands came down heavily on her shoulders. She looked up at him, frowning at the uncertain look on his face. She couldn’t blame him, though. She’d been…it had been the worst today. She had felt so far from herself, and yet…so she turned around and grabbed his hands, holding them both in her own. She gave him her best smile, and he couldn’t help but smile in return.

 

“I’m going to be just fine, just like you said,” she said, “so stop worrying, ok? I’m sorry I caused so much trouble.”

 

“You’re worth the trouble, Yucie,” he said. He knelt before her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her dress looked good as new, and she was no worse for wear. She’d be fine. “Just…don’t pull this again, ok?”

 

“I couldn’t exactly help it,” she quipped, and he shook his head.

 

“Doesn’t matter. I thought I was going to lose you,” he said. She frowned at him, but he just hugged her. “You should get some sleep. The healer said you’d need rest, and Mother’s allowing you to miss lessons tomorrow. Here and at the Academy.”

 

“You guys don’t have to baby me,” she pouted, and he smiled.

 

“Take it while you can. I’m sure once you’re back Humphrey’s going to work you harder than ever,” he said, and she rolled her eyes as she pushed him away. She started to walk towards his door, but she hesitated halfway there when a rumble of thunder echoed through the room.

 

“A-Arc?” she asked, turning slightly to look at him. He smiled and stood, walking over to her and grabbing her hand.

 

“You don’t have to ask,” he said, squeezing her hand before he lead her to her room.

 

“Just until I fall asleep,” she said, giving him a stern look. “No funny business.”

 

“I’ll leave as soon as you start snoring,” he laughed, and she shouted at him as he tucked her in and crawled onto the bed beside her.

 

He didn’t leave until just before dawn.

 

**Curious**

“Hey, Arc?”

 

“Hmmm?” he asked, not once looking up from the book he was reading. He was sitting on the floor by his bed, his knees bent up with the book resting atop them. Yucie was lounging on his bed, reading a book of her own. She was on her back, with her head resting against his, and every now and then she would shift, and her hair would fall just so over his shoulders. (She was torturing him, and she didn’t even realize it. Or maybe she did – she was evil like that, at times.)

 

“I was just wondering…well, and I never asked you about it before, so…” she paused, and he could just imagine the way she was probably biting her lip. He nudged her head slightly, and she hummed. He glanced over at her, but she was staring up the canopy. Her eyes had taken on a darker look, and he wasn’t sure where she had been going with her question, but he knew wherever she was now wasn’t it. He knew those shadows, the ones that let him know she was back to the previous month, where she had almost lost everything she held dear. He reached up and put a hand on her chin, tilting her face to look at him.

 

“Hey, Yucie, I’m right here,” he said. She smiled, the shadows clearing, and he mentally sighed in relief. His thumb brushed against her cheek, and he felt himself smiling back at her. “Now what were you wondering about?”

 

“Well, back at the Harvest Festival…you disguised yourself with magic,” she said, and he nodded, grinning as he remembered that day (more specifically: as he remembered that cat costume she had worn).

 

“It was getting harder to avoid the palace guards. I felt a disguise would be more…productive,” he said. She nodded.

 

“I get that,” she said. “What I don’t understand is why, of all things, you disguised yourself as an old _woman_.”

 

He froze, barely blinking as he gawked at her, and she gave him a devious little smirk.

 

“I mean really, Arc. That’s just _weird_. Do you have some secret desire I should know about before things between us get too seri-ahhh!” the question turned into a squeal as he threw his book aside and lunged at her. She dissolved in a fit of giggles as he began tickling her, and soon he was straddling her knees as she gasped for air and begged for mercy.

 

“It was just the spell I found. I was kind of rushed, so I didn’t have time to make adjustments,” he said. He smirked at her, bending down to hover above her face. “Besides, I think things are already a bit too serious for you to be bailing on me now.”

 

“Arc…” she breathed, her eyes widening at something. Maybe it was his words, maybe there was a look in his eyes…whatever it was, she was smiling again, that one he was noticing more and more around him alone. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, and before she could yell at him he was off of her and crossing the room to retrieve his book.

 

“Great, Forehead – you made me lose my place.”


	3. ...like I'm Adjusting

**Amused**

All his life, the prince had found few things more enjoyable than taking his oldest, most-loved horse out for a good, long ride. This was of course hampered after his sojourn the previous year, as his mother was afraid every ride would find him without a return and she decided riding was a less than agreeable activity. Still, he had eventually proven his lack of desire to flee, and she had once again taken no interest in his near-daily rides.

 

He was making his way to the stables for another afternoon ride when he heard it: the distinct sound of a very annoyed, very frustrated Platina Princess coming from inside the stable that housed his favorite horse. He ducked behind the door and listened, telling himself it was less spying and more self-defense. After all, if he walked in there blindly when she was in such a state he might walk out with a concussion – if he walked out at all.

 

“…does he know, anyway?! ‘Oh, no, no, no, highness! You mustn’t ride like _that_! Back straight! Straight- _er_!’ You tell me, Sunspray, was I sitting straight enough for you?” he peeked around the door to find Yucie talking to one of the younger horses, a golden mare his mother had taken a shine to a few years ago. Yucie smiled slightly as the horse nudged her shoulder, a gesture she took as an agreement, and placed a hand on her muzzle. “And what does he know, anyway? I’ve been riding forever, and never once got a complaint! And besides…”

 

She whirled around, and he ducked behind the door to avoid being seen. He clapped a hand over his mouth, choking on his laughter as she shouted: “…side-saddle’s for girls!”

 

Unable to resist, he moved into the doorway, leaning against the frame as he gave her a pointed look and asked, “And you are…?”

 

“Arc!” she gasped, her face flushing a brilliant shade of red, and he smirked as he shook his head.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure _I’m_ Arc,” he said. He walked over to the stall she stood before and smiled at Sunspray. “Riding lessons not going well?”

 

“Oooh, it’s that stupid Sir Humphrey! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!” she pouted, stomping her foot into the ground. “He’s so…so…so critical! I can’t do anything right, and when I think I finally got something he goes and tells me it’s still wrong! Well, I’ll have him know…what?”

 

She stopped in front of him and folded her arms over her chest. She glared up at him, and he didn’t even bother trying to hide his amusement.

 

“Yucie, it’s just etiquette,” he said, and she reached up to poke him in the chest.

 

“Yeah, well, _you_ take the lessons, then!” she said. He grinned and poked her forehead.

 

“ _I_ don’t have to – I was raised with it, remember?” he asked, and he immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say as her face fell. He knelt down and tipped her chin up when she looked down. “Hey, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked, turning back to Sunspray and scratching the mare’s nose. He frowned but side-stepped the topic with her, instead snatching her hand and leading her to another stall. Her eyes widened as she took in the brown stallion with the white speckles covering his coat.

 

“I was going for a ride. Care to join Mudpie and me?” he asked, and she smirked at him.

 

“‘Mudpie’?” she asked, biting back a smirk, and he grinned.

 

“What? I was seven. ‘Mudpie’ seemed like a great name,” he said, and she doubled over in laughter. He nudged her shoulder and nodded towards Mudpie. “So? Up for a ride?”

 

She smiled and reached up, giving Mudpie the same attention she’d given Sunspray. He cocked a brow at her and she grinned.

 

“Ok, fine,” she said. “A ride would be lovely.”

 

**Relaxed**

She wished she could say moving to the castle had been wonderful, but most days it just left her exhausted. Queen Erlsel had insisted on the move, stating that she needed to adjust to the life of a royal (and there had been a knowing glint in her eye as she claimed this, too, letting Yucie know she knew exactly where the Platina Princess stood with her son). She had moved in shortly after the Final Scene, and though her father had been offered a place as well he had decided it was best if he remained at the family farm.

 

Her first day hadn’t been so bad, mainly a chance to get acquainted with her new surroundings. After that, however, her days had become chaotic. They were a blur of the Princess Academy, additional lessons at the palace, part-time jobs, and not much else. She was lucky if she found time to see her friends, let alone breathe. All too often she’d find herself collapsing into bed at the end of the night, but never before her favorite part of the day.

 

Attached to her room was an ensuite, and it was larger than any bath she’d ever seen before (with the exception of the bath at the beach resort). It was spacious and beautiful, and the tub…the tub was glorious. Large with a seemingly endless supply of heated water. The best part of her day, she had to concede, was sinking into that tub every night and letting the warm water soak away the stiffness in her sore muscles.

 

She sighed dreamily and leaned her head back against the towel on the edge. Her eyes slipped closed as a blissful smile curled her lips. When she finally did marry Arc, she thought, she was making sure they had a tub like this in their ensuite. The thought always brought a blush she attributed to the water’s temperature, but she would quickly brush away thoughts of her intended and shared baths. She could always entertain them later.

 

**Intimidated**

If she was being honest, she’d always had a bit of an inferiority complex. Though she possessed a fiery spirit, it was a direct byproduct of so many years spent acting out against perceived inadequacies. She was always too young, too small, too crass, too _something_ – and if they were going to tell her that would prevent her from accomplishing something, she’d just have to go out and prove them wrong.

 

This was a different kind of inadequacy altogether, though.

 

This was an official, formal gathering – her first real foray into the world of the nobility. She felt underdressed. She felt so improper in her mannerisms and way of speech. She saw Arc, talking and laughing with the other nobles like he’d been doing this his whole life (he had), and she felt…unworthy.

 

This was his world, and she was a simple farm girl. What place did she have here?

 

Another slipup, and the ladies around her laughed cattily as her face burned. She looked down, her gloved hands folded with so much force they shook. She didn’t belong here. Even if she was the Platina Princess, it was in title only – this wasn’t her. She wasn’t one of them, and they were all so much better than she could ever hope to be. They had grown silent, looking at her oddly as if she had missed the punch line to another one of their jokes. She gave them a weak smile and bowed, quickly excusing herself.

 

She fled the atrium, refusing to dab at her eyes to clear the tears she refused to shed in their presence.

 

**Predatory**

Ceilia had not returned to the palace since that day over a year ago, when she had spent a sleepless night searching the place in hopes of an audience with the Queen. At the time, she had believed the Queen’s invitation was in order to extend a marriage proposal from her son. After all, Ceilia had grown up in the circle of nobility, and she was old friends with Prince Aero – she was just as eligible as any of the other ladies for the Prince’s hand. She had only later learned that the invitation was a test, and the aim of the test was to find the Princess Candidate from the Human World.

 

She had been less than pleased to discover that candidate was none other than Yucie, the insolent peasant brat who had destroyed her dress on that fated day. Yucie’s attaining the Eternal Tiara and title of Platina Princess had only been salt to the wound. The brat’s presence at social functions was just rubbing it in, which is the main reason she had avoided the palace for so long. No need to bait her into losing her temper and causing a scene, after all. She was above all those petty antics.

 

Her ruby eyes narrowed on the Platina Princess as the other ladies of the court laughed at some joke. Yucie’s face was flaming, her head bowed, and her eyes trained on gloved hands that were fisted in a beautiful yellow gown. If she had any sense of camaraderie with the girl, she might have taken pity on her and rescued her from the situation. As it was, she still hated the bitch and felt a little suffering – no, character building – was needed. Especially if she expected to survive the shark tank.

 

“Ceilia!” she jumped as her name was called, and she looked away from Yucie to see Aero approaching. She threw on her brightest smile and held her arms out as he strode over.

 

“Aero!” she gasped, laughing as he hugged her. She held on just a little longer, giggling as he kissed her cheek. “You rascal! Where have you been hiding?”

 

“Hiding? Of course not! I was…over there, somewhere,” he said sheepishly. He shrugged and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous. “It’s the first major shindig I’ve been present for since my absence. I’ve had a lot of hands to shake and disgruntled nobles to schmooze. Honestly, I’ve lost track of where I’ve been the past few hours.”

 

“And you’re only just reaching me? Honestly, Aero, I’m hurt!” she chided, lightly tapping his arm. His face darkened, and she was about to ask what she had done when she realized he was glaring over her shoulder. She glanced behind her to where the gaggle of ladies were laughing at Yucie again, and she smirked as she saw Yucie turn and rush from the room. About time the brat realized her place.

 

“Those imbecilic, vapid harpies…” Aero spat, and Ceilia turned startled eyes on him.

 

“Beg pardon?” she asked, and he blinked as he looked at her.

 

“Oh – I’m so sorry, Ceilia, but would you mind excusing me a moment? It appears I have some damage control to do,” he said, his smile apologetic. She frowned as she grabbed his hand.

 

“But you’ve only just got here! Surely it can wait?” she pleaded, but he shook his head.

 

“I’m afraid it can’t,” he said. “I was remiss in my attentions, and unfortunately I left the Platina Princess to fend for herself.”

 

“Yucie, you mean? She’s a tough brat – surely she can manage herself? Or does she still need a babysitter, even after besting the Tiara?” she jeered, and she was surprised to see his glare turn on her.

 

“Excuse you?” he asked, an edge of warning in his tone, and she swallowed thickly. She nervously tugged on her gloves and glanced to the side.

 

“I meant no disrespect, Aero, but surely you must agree. I grew up with Yucie, and this sort of scene…well, it’s not really her place, is it? It’s preposterous to think she could honestly believe she belonged here. It’s preposterous to think she actually managed to become the Platina Princess, but now that she has…well, it’s doing no one any good keeping her around, is it?” she asked. Her courage bolstered as her rant continued, and as she finished she looked back to the prince. She was surprised to see his glare had considerably darkened, and when she reached out to touch his arm he jerked back from her. “Aero, what’s wrong? Don’t you agree? Surely as the crown prince you’ve spent time with her. You know what I mean.”

 

“I’m afraid I don’t, Ceilia,” he said, his voice tense. A broken, nervous laugh bubbled out of her, but it quickly died at his stormy look. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time with her, and if anything it’s shown me that she does belong here – more than the majority of the women in this room, in fact. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

 

He left without another word, quickly escaping out the door Yucie had fled from not moments before. Ceilia’s eyes narrowed as her hands fisted at her side, the sting of her old friend’s abrupt dismissal a wound to her pride.

 

“It seems the prince has found other amusements in your absence, Ceilia, dear,” a snide voice said at her side. She turned to see Ruby, another old friend, standing smugly beside her.

 

“Hmph,” she groused, placing her hands on her hips and glaring haughtily at the door. “We’ll see about that, Ruby. If this is how Yucie wants to play, then this is how we’ll play.”

 

“Ceilia?” Ruby asked, her lips curling into a smirk when Ceilia took her hand and led her to the table of drinks that had been set up towards the back.

 

“I’m not a ‘flat-chested bitch’ for nothing, Ruby. The brat will not win that easily,” she said. She sipped her wine and glanced at the exit. “Game set, Princess.”

 

**Exhausted**

He hadn’t seen Yucie in over a week, and quite frankly he was getting rather restless about it. In a way, he found it amazing: where he had previously been able to go weeks – even months – between visits with the girl, he was quickly learning even a handful of days without her presence was too long. Yes, he had seen her in passing, but he hadn’t actually been able to spend any time with her. He had hoped her moving to the palace would have resolved that issue, but it seemed as soon as she got there his mother had her in even more private lessons to prepare her for the life of royalty. When she wasn’t at the Academy or a part-time job, she was usually in one of those lessons. Free time was rare these days.

 

Which is what found him outside her door at the present moment. Her tutor had come down with a bout of food poisoning, prompting the older gentleman to cancel that afternoon’s lesson. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Arc had leapt upon the opportunity. He had every intention of kidnapping the Platina Princess, possibly with plans for an afternoon picnic somewhere far away from the capital city.

 

However, when he knocked, there was no answering call bidding him entrance. He opened the door, calling her name, and still received no answer. Poking his head in, he gave a quick scan of the room and found her collapsed on her bed. He smiled slightly and entered the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He sat beside her and brushed some hair out of her face, and she smiled in her sleep and leaned into his touch. She looked exhausted, and that didn’t really surprise him. His mother had been working her to death lately, it seemed.

 

Immediately scrapping his plans for the afternoon, he laid down behind her and wrapped an arm about her middle. She sighed and curled against him, and he kissed her neck. He could always kidnap her later. Right now, she needed her rest.


	4. ...like Every Step Forward is Two Back

**Nostalgic**

A wave of something swept over him as he pulled his horse up outside the church. His smile softened as he took in the old stone structure, much less foreboding in the cheery, dappled sunlight than it had been on that stormy night. It almost looked welcoming, though he had to concede that it could be his memories painting it in such a light. His gaze locked on the side door, where he had been delirious and half-conscious the first time he’d seen her, before traveling up to a window near the back, where he had first met her again after so many years. Of course, he hadn’t realized it at the time – he had just been fascinated by the little girl who was so easily flustered. (If he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t truly believed she was actually seventeen, no matter how many times she told him.)

 

He shook his head of the memories, still smiling, and hopped off his horse. He made his way to the side door before knocking, whistling while he waited. The whistle died on his lips when the door opened and a young woman in a habit peeked out.

 

“Yes, can I hel…oh, crap,” Yucie’s face fell as she realized who had knocked on the door. He gave her an amused grin, arching a brow in question, and she sighed before opening the door the rest of the way, leaning against the jam, folding her arms across her chest, and quirking her lips in a smile. “You’re not gonna pass out on me this time, are you?”

 

He blinked before his head fell back, laughter bubbling from his chest. He shook his head and grinned once he had calmed, and he asked, “Now, why does this feel so familiar?”

 

“I got to the job board late again, and there were only a few postings left. Gurenda and Beth really didn’t want this one, so I figured why not?” she paused, frowning slightly. “If you’re here to flirt with the Sister again, she’s not in. That’s why I’m here tonight: there was some trouble at a church a few villages over, and she’s gone to help.”

 

“Now why would I come to a church to flirt with a nun when I apparently have one waiting for me back at the castle?” he asked, and her face flushed as she looked away.

 

“Fat head,” she said, and he laughed as he bent down and kissed her forehead. Her blush burned brighter, but she was smiling. She glanced back at him, trying to act like he hadn’t affected her. “So why are you here?”

 

He snapped his fingers as he remembered his task, and a moment later he was handing her an envelope bearing the queen’s official seal. She took it from him, glancing at the name to find it was addressed to the Sister.

 

“Mother sent me to deliver that,” he said. “Actually, it’s kind of upsetting. I was hoping to steal you from your lessons today.”

 

She smiled before putting the letter in a pocket of her dress. She shrugged and said, “Queen Erlsel still wanted me to work on the part-time jobs, so she blocked out two days a week for them.”

 

“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped,” he quipped, looking back at his horse. He grinned at her again, and she gave him a glare.

 

“I’m working,” she said, noting the mischievous glint in his eye. “I can’t leave.”

 

“Want some company then?” he asked. He put a hand on the stone wall beside her and smiled softly. “You know, I never did apologize.”

 

“For being a royal ass the last time you were here?” she asked, and he laughed again as he nodded. He loved how blunt she could be at times. She shrugged slightly. “I got used to it.”

 

“You act like that’s who I always am,” he said, and she frowned.

 

“It was, for a while,” she said. “You were a jerk and a pervert. You treated me like a child, even after I told you I wasn’t, and…”

 

“Yucie?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes before shrugging again.

 

“You got better,” she said finally. “You’re still an insufferable jerk at times, but…it’s just you. I wouldn’t change that – it’s part of what I love about you. I…”

 

She froze suddenly, realizing what she had just said, and her eyes widened in fright. She looked up at him, panicked, and he imagined he looked just as surprised. He recovered much quicker, though, and he thought his grin would split his face it was so wide. Her face was beet red, and he recalled the octopus quip he had made that first morning. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger against her warm skin.

 

“I’m glad,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you, too, Yucie.”

 

“Arc…” she whispered, turning her face to stare at him. He leaned up and kissed her forehead before standing. He looked back at his horse and sighed; he really didn’t want to go back to the castle now.

 

“I suppose I should be going,” he said, offering her an apologetic smile, “if you’re working. I’ll see you tomorrow, Forehead.”

 

He walked back to his horse, and he was already mounted before she found her voice. When she called after him, he loosened his grip on the reins and turned towards her. She smiled shyly, her face still a light red, and said, “You’re a fat head and a jerk, and a lot of times you can be a great pervert, too, but I meant it. I do love you.”

 

He simply grinned before riding away.

 

**Loved**

“I know it’s silly, but I was hoping for more by now,” she said from her spot by the door. He looked up from where he was sitting at the desk in her old bedroom, flipping through a book. She was looking at her height chart again, her fingers pressing into the fourth new mark from where she had stopped for all those years. It had only been a couple of months since the curse had been lifted; he thought she was growing rather quickly, to be honest.

 

“More?” he asked, and she smiled slightly. “You’re the Platina Princess, you have the Crown Prince of Erlsel wrapped around your little finger, you have four of the best friends anyone could ask for, and did I mention that that prince of yours is quite the catch? What more could you possibly want?”

 

“I don’t mean that, you fathead,” she said, half-heartedly tossing her hat at him. He grinned impishly, and she smirked before turning back to her chart. “It’s just…I’m eighteen today. I thought by now I would be…taller.”

 

“Yucie…” he started, and she shook her head.

 

“I mean, look at how Beth’s shot up. I shouldn’t be surprised, really, but whenever I imagined myself grown up I was…taller,” she said, sighing. He put the book down, frowning at her.

 

“Why shouldn’t you be surprised?” he asked.

 

“I’ve always been on the scrawny side,” she said, “even when I was little, before I stopped growing. Tell me, Arc. When you met me that day in the woods, when you said I was still pretty young…how old did you think I was?”

 

“How old?” he asked, looking up in thought. “Hmmm…probably three. You looked…” He caught her look and frowned; he hedged, “…how old were you?”

 

“Six,” she said, and his eyes widened. He didn’t know why it surprised him; he knew now that she was only two years his junior, but for some reason he had never applied that knowledge to their past. She had been so tiny!

 

“Are you serious?” he asked, lips quirking with the desire to laugh. “You were…hey!”

 

“Shut up!” she cried, throwing her bag at him with more force than she had her hat. He grinned, chuckling slightly.

 

“Sorry, sorry…it’s just…surprising, is all. You really have always been a little squirt, haven’t you?” he asked. She smirked at him.

 

“We didn’t even realize I had stopped growing at first,” she said. “Dad kept saying I’d have a growth spurt, but by the time I was thirteen…I’d kind of given up hope. And now…I know it’s only been a couple of months, but I keep hoping…”

 

“Hey,” he said, putting her bag down and walking up behind her. He hunched down to rest his chin on her shoulder, wrapped his arms around her waist, and held her close. He grinned up at the growth chart. “Whatever height you end up, Forehead, you’re perfect. I still love you.”

 

“Even if I wasn’t even five feet tall? Even if I’m this short forever?” she asked, turning her head slightly towards him. He kissed her cheek, nuzzling her skin as he nodded.

 

“Even if you looked like a ten-year-old forever,” he confirmed. She smiled, turning in his arms to hug him tight.

 

“Thanks, Arc,” she mumbled, and he sighed as he heard the tears in her voice. _Girls_.

 

**Awake**

As his idiom, he had shirked his duties that afternoon to enjoy a nice, leisurely stroll through his mother’s private orchard. The apple trees were nearing harvest (the festival was only a few weeks away), and the dappled sunlight streaming through their boughs cast a warming, golden light all around. A crisp breeze kept the chill in the air, but his cloak blocked most of it. He’d been meandering through the trees for a while before he stopped underneath one and laid down, settling in for a nap. He was nearly asleep when an apple fell from the tree above and crashed into his nose.

 

He gave a yelp and jerked up, clutching at his nose with one hand and grabbing the offending apple with another. He glared at it before a gasp above him made him look up into the tree.

 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I…Arc!” Yucie blinked at him, and he looked back at her with wide eyes. She was hanging upside-down from the tree, a basket of apples on the branch beside her resting next to where her knees gripped the tree. Her lips quirked up – down? – in a grin, and he laughed as he rubbed at his nose. “I’m sorry – it slipped. Are you ok? How long have you been here?”

 

“Not too long,” he said. “I didn’t notice you up there, though. What in the world are you doing, Forehead?”

 

She waved to the basket by her knees and said, “Apple picking. Part-time job. It sounded like fun. Gurenda and Beth are here somewhere, too, but they’ve been cheating.”

 

“Cheating?” he asked, and she nodded.

 

“Gurenda’s using Gaga and her magic to get the apples down, and Beth’s a fairy. Trees are second nature to her,” she said. He grinned and took a bite of the apple she’d (accidentally) hit him with. “Arc! You can’t eat that!”

 

“Why not? You threw it at me,” he said, and she puffed out her cheeks in indignation. Gods, but he loved teasing her. She was so cute when annoyed.

 

“I dropped it, thank you very much! And I’m supposed to be collecting them for Mr. Asborough, not you!” she said. He didn’t bother pointing out how Asborough was most likely collecting them for the market or the palace kitchens, and it was only one apple. Instead, he took another bite. She gave a shout, and he glanced up at her to make a remark when the shout changed tenor and meaning. His eyes widened as the branch snapped, sending her and the basket tumbling onto him. The wind was knocked from his lungs, causing him to choke on the apple he still hadn’t swallowed, but he still grabbed her head to shield her from the apples now raining around them. When the last apple thudded to the ground, he gave a final cough to clear his lungs and nudged the girl frozen on his chest.

 

“Y-Yucie?” he asked, swallowing. “Are you ok?”

 

“Are you?” she asked after a moment, peeking up from his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, smiling. “I’m so sorry, Arc. I don’t know what happened. Are you sure you’re ok?”

 

“I’m fine,” he said. He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. He jostled her slightly, and she blinked in confusion. “Though…have you gained more weight? You feel heavier.”

 

“WHAT!” she cried, her face flushing indignantly. He laughed and leaned up, kissing her forehead. “Arc! You…you…!”

 

“Relax,” he said. “You’re growing – you’re supposed to gain weight.”

 

“That’s not any better!” she cried. “You’re not supposed to tell girls they’re getting fat!”

 

“I didn’t say ‘fat’, Forehead,” he said. “I said you were gaining weight. I like it.”

 

His hands came to rest on her hips, which were rounding out nicely, and she lost some of her gusto. She glared down at him petulantly, but he was still smiling easily at her. She reached up and brushed her fingers against his forehead, brushing his bangs aside, and he winced as her fingers brushed a tender spot.

 

“I really am sorry,” she said. “There’ll be a knot.”

 

“It’s fine, Yucie,” he said. His thumb began rubbing against her hip, and her blush deepened. He smirked, his mind anywhere but the bump on his head as his hand slid around her hip to rest on the small of her back. His eyes darted to her mouth, but she was too busy looking at the bump. “Forehead.”

 

“Hmmm?” she asked, brushing her thumb against the knot again. He caught her wrist, stilling her hand, and she looked back at him. “Arc? What’s…”

 

He tugged her wrist, pulling her down to him with every intention of finally snogging her senseless, when a loud catcall had her jumping – and slamming that forehead he loved so much right into his own. They both shouted as the catcall turned into loud guffaws, and Yucie scrambled off of him, grabbed her basket, and started collecting the scattered apples. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, glaring at a nearby tree where Beth and Gurenda were leaning against each other, laughing. He scowled at them before glancing back at Yucie. She was as red as the apples she was busy gathering.

 

“Hey, Yucie, we’re supposed to be working!” Beth called. Gurenda grinned.

 

“Oh, I’d definitely say she’s working,” the demon princess quipped, and Yucie gave an indignant screech before chucking an apple their way. They ran off, laughing as she gave chase, and he sighed as he leaned back against the grass.

 

Damn. He had been so close, too…

 

**Annoyed**

**_ _ **

“Hrrrrrnh!”

 

She jumped again, her fingertips brushing the bottom of the apple. She gave the fruit a determined stare, pushed her sleeves back, and jumped again. “Hrrrrnh!”

 

She landed again, still without the apple, and stomped her foot. It just wasn’t fair! The curse was broken, she was grown, and she was…

 

“Come on, you stu-hoooo!” she gasped as she was suddenly hoisted into the air. She looked down to find she was on Arc’s shoulders with the prince grinning up at her.

 

“Need some help, Forehead?” he asked, and she hmphed as she snatched the apple. He put her down and picked it out of her hand, quickly taking a bite. She gaped at him, and he smirked.

 

“Arc! You…but…I…that’s not fair!” she whined, again stomping her foot. He reached up and snatched another apple with ease, and she reluctantly took it when he handed it to her.

 

“I don’t know what you’re so upset about,” he said, patting the top of her head and earning a glare in response. “I’m glad you’re still short. Makes me feel useful.”

 

He turned and headed back towards the palace, taking another bite of his apple as he went. She gaped after him, and he called back over his shoulder, “Come on, Forehead! Mother wanted you in her office twenty minutes ago!”

 

**Vulnerable**

_How does saying nothing at all become so loud? When does the silence settle in?_

_Nothing’s wrong, but nothing’s right, we hold our breath and close our eyes_

_And skate out on that ice that’s wearing thin…_

“I Want Tears” – Michelle Branch

She was one breath away from frame-shaking, shattering sobs, and that was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She was the Platina Princess, damn it. Daughter of the hero Gunberd. Future queen of…well. She was supposed to be, at least.

 

And that thought found her hugging her knees tighter, curling into as tiny a ball as possible as she breathed deeply. She could feel herself shaking with the force to hold in her emotions. She felt…gods, she didn’t know how she felt. Her stomach was in knots. Her eyes stung with the need for tears. Her throat ached with the need to scream. Her fingers were pale from how tightly she was fisting them. She needed…she needed…

 

…gods, it would be so much easier if he could just get it!

 

But he was a boy: stupid and oblivious, so of course he didn’t. He didn’t see how the way he interacted with those girls drove her nuts. She knew it was his natural charm, but to anyone else…it looked like flirting. And she knew it was intentional on their part. They didn’t care if she was standing right next to him. He was the crown prince, and she was just the bumpkin-turned-princess. What could he possibly see in her, anyway? So they flirted and tried to get him to turn an eye their way, and he…he was too damn nice. He unwittingly encouraged them, acting like his usual cordial self, while she just stood there floundering.

 

He was a crown prince with the harem to go with it, and sometimes…

 

She knew she was different. She knew he loved her. She knew she was special, important. Most times he was great at acting like that. But there were those times when he just put his royal foot in his mouth and treated her just like the other groupies, and damn it all if she just stood there and let him. But she wasn’t a groupie, damn it! She was his intended! Didn’t she deserve to be treated as such?

 

Instead, he was back at his mother’s party, flirting away with the castle tramps, and she was one ill-placed thought away from a breakdown in the garden he liked to take her to when they were trying to escape the rest of the palace.

 

She hated this. She hated this feeling of confusion, of uncertainty. She hated feeling like she didn’t know where she stood with him. She hated that everyone else seemed so certain of them when half the time she felt like she was a passing amusement. Like she…

 

_“Personally, I’m glad she’s got you living here now. I get to see you so much more than I used to, and you know…I like that. I need you in my life more, Forehead.”_

 

…gah, why the hell did he have to be so _him?!_ It would be so much easier if he could just be an ass like other guys, but no – he had to be practically perfect. Stupid son of a bitch. Stupid…stupid.

 

She was just so stupid. What was she even doing there? She didn’t belong. Obviously. He didn’t really need her around. Obviously. He had his harem for that. So why was she torturing herself like this? Why did she give a damn when he obviously didn’t? Why…why…?


	5. ...like You Should Just Kiss Me Already

**Moody**

It had been a bad day that had the fortune of following a bad week. Really, it wasn’t that it had been spectacularly bad by typical standards – she was just…frustrated. Annoyed. Really freakin’ pissed off, if she was being perfectly honest.

 

A ‘perk’ of her curse that she hadn’t previously considered was that, for all intents and purposes, her body had literally frozen at the age of ten. Normal female issues such as a body changing and readying for childbearing didn’t apply to her. As her friends grew, changed, and experienced those joys, she had watched enviously from the sidelines. As far as she knew, she would never experience that.

 

She had no idea what the hell she thought she was missing.

 

When her body had finally started developing and those… _joys_ …had made themselves known, it had been possibly the worst week of her life. What was worse was that she had been with Arc at the time when a severe bout of stomach pain had attacked her, and Arc – being the kind, courteous, _oblivious_ man that he is, had immediately rushed her to the healer. She had never been so mortified – though, she was comforted to recall, perhaps Arc had been even more so.

 

That had been two months ago. Now she was in the palace gardens, stretched out on the grass and groaning as her innards twisted and knotted. Her eyes closed as another pain lanced through her, and she grit her teeth as she felt a body plop down beside her. She cracked open an eye to see Arc looking down at her in concern. Before he could say a word, she pointed back to the palace.

 

“Go away,” she said. He opened his mouth to protest, and she punched his knee. He smirked at her half-hearted attempt at a hit, but she had already closed her eyes again. “Now.”

 

**Silly**

It was even colder than usual that morning. The acknowledgment came unbidden as she burrowed deeper into her blankets. She wanted nothing more than to stay huddled in her little cocoon, wrapped up warm and safe from the biting temperatures beyond, but she knew it was a weekday and she had to get up for school and lessons. She groaned at the thought and threw the blankets over her head. She paused at a noise beyond her blankets, and she lowered the duvet slightly to see a brown-haired maid stoking the fire. The maid turned and jumped, noticing the eye peeking out at her.

 

“Highness! I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said. “I’ll be going now – you can go back to sleep.”

 

“No, I can’t,” Yucie said, frowning. “I have classes. I have to wake up.”

 

“But, highness, classes were cancelled today,” the maid said, and Yucie screeched out a “WHAT?!” as she bolted up, throwing her blankets clear off in the process. The maid smiled slightly, a bit nervous at the princess’s antics, and reached for the bucket she’d brought into the room. “Yes, highness. Because of the weather?”

 

Yucie scrambled out of her bed and over to the balcony doors, her eyes growing wide as she took in the sight beyond. A cloudy sky blocking out the sun – and snow drifting to the world below, which it had all but buried overnight.

 

“The whole city’s been shut down on account of the snow,” the maid said. “No one can get out.”

 

A girlish squeal escaped her as she threw the doors open and ran out onto the balcony. Laughter bubbled from her as she spun and twirled, dancing in the light snow. She slipped and fell back against the railing, clutching to it for balance but too overjoyed by the sight of the snow to take much notice. Her face was upturned, eyes wide and wondering as the flakes fell around her.

 

“Highness! Please, come back inside before you catch ill!” the maid cried, running over to her, but Yucie only grabbed her hands and began spinning again in a silly little dance.

 

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” she cried. A muffled, snorting laugh made her look to the adjacent balcony, and her grin grew as she saw Arc leaning against the wall, trying to hide his laughter. She released the maid and ran over to the edge, catching herself on the railing as she slipped again. Concern flashed through his eyes as he pushed himself from the wall, a hand automatically reaching for her, but she only laughed and tossed a handful of loose snow at him.

 

“Hey!” he cried, batting the snow off his face, and she laughed again.

 

“Sledding! Please?” she asked, literally bouncing in her excitement, and he was openly laughing this time.

 

“If you get some proper clothes on,” he said, dusting off the railing of his balcony and resting his arms on the cleared surface. She leaned over, careful not to fall, and kissed his cheek. He blinked, surprised she hadn’t called him a pervert for commenting on her (lack of) attire.

 

“I’ll be ready in five!” she said, and before he could blink she was back inside, rooting through her closet. He could still hear her laughing whoops from inside. He looked at the maid, who was watching his whirlwind of a princess with a shaken look, and laughed again. When she looked at him, he was beaming.

 

“If only she was that easy to wake up every morning,” he quipped, and she smiled nervously. A shaky laugh escaped her, as if she wasn’t sure if it was ok to make such comments about the royalty, and he shook his head. “Looks like I’m going sledding.”

 

**Embarrassed**

She blinked, starting as she felt a finger poke her forehead. Gurenda was standing before her, arms folded over her chest and grinning like the cat that got the cream. Beth stood beside her, an equally troubling smirk quirking her lips, and Yucie felt a lead weight drop into her stomach. She had learned long ago that those grins on their faces were never a good sign.

 

“She had that look on her face again,” Gurenda commented, and Yucie swallowed as Beth nodded.

 

“Yep, sure did,” Beth said.

 

“W-what look?” she asked, and the look her two friends shared was nothing short of diabolical.

 

“The one that said you were daydreaming about the prince again,” Gurenda said. Beth nodded.

 

“The one that said, ‘Oh, Prince Aero, take me – I’m yours!’” she said, and Yucie gasped in outrage at the imitation.

 

“I-I did not!” she snapped, slamming her hands on the desk and standing. A look of pure evil glinted in Gurenda’s eyes.

 

“So, tell us, Yucie, what were you fantasizing about this time? From how red you’re turning, it must’ve been something good,” she said. Beth snorted.

 

“Please – Yucie’s as innocent as they come. Though she’s the only one of us with a guy, I promise the extent of her fantasizing goes to the wedding and nothing beyond,” she quipped. Yucie’s face flamed, though she was unwilling to tell Beth just how right she was. Gurenda arched a brow, and Beth smirked. “She confides in Kokoru, and Kokoru confides in me. For all his efforts, I promise Yucie will make it to that wedding a blushing, virgin bride.”

 

“Beth!” Yucie screeched as Gurenda doubled over with loud, raucous guffaws. Beth smirked at her.

 

“I bet you two haven’t even kissed yet,” she said, and her grin widened when Yucie looked away. “I knew it!”

 

“Oh, they’ve kissed – once,” Gurenda said. She smirked at Yucie. “But has he kissed you since?”

 

“H-he will,” she stammered, and Gurenda laughed again.

 

“Oh, come on, Yucie! You need to show some incentive!” she said, and when Yucie went to protest she held up a hand. “You’re so smitten by the guy, and you’re letting him set the pace. Meanwhile you’re here daydreaming in class about your _wedding_ , and I can promise you he’s off fantasizing about what comes _after_.”

 

“A-after?” Yucie squeaked, and Beth grinned lasciviously.

 

“Oh, knowing him, I doubt he really wants to wait for _after_ ,” she said. “He is a perfectly healthy grown man, after all.”

 

“That is true,” Gurenda said, looking thoughtful. She gave Yucie a sympathetic look. “You might want to consider putting out a bit, Yucie. Don’t want him to catch interest in someone more… _advanced_.”

 

“Oh my gosh, guys, shut up!” Yucie screeched, ducking her flaming head as she clamped her hands over her ears. She missed the stares her outburst had brought, but Beth and Gurenda just laughed and walked away. As she glared after them, Gurenda shot Beth a grin and elbowed her side.

 

“She is too much fun to rile up,” she said. Beth nodded, and Gurenda glanced back at Yucie. “If that doesn’t get her to balls up around him, I don’t know what will.”

 

**Enamored**

_Watch your hands move along my face, they trace all the lines I’ve lived_

_It isn’t hard to love your scars ‘cause that’s everywhere you’ve been_

_I am yours, and I know that you’re mine – you’re worth waiting for._

_You’re worth waiting for…_

“Be My Only” – Tim Myers feat. Schuyler Fisk

 

He was…utterly bewitched, and even that didn’t seem a strong enough sentiment to express how completely she had captivated him.

 

She wasn’t even looking at him. Her face was scrunched in concentration, and she was staring at their feet. He had to smile at that. He wanted to point out how, if she wanted to learn how to do this dancing thing successfully, she had to stop doing that and just go with it, but he was enjoying the opportunity to stare at her so unabashedly a bit too much. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her brow furrowed, and his eyes were drawn to that lip. Her tongue peeked out slightly, and he felt something come over him as he stopped their dance. She was unprepared and faltered slightly, and she looked confused when she raised her head towards his. He simply stood there and continued to stare at her lips; she was frowning now.

 

He hadn’t kissed her yet. At least…he hadn’t _properly_ kissed her. He had given her thousands of chaste kisses upon her cheek or that forehead of hers, but an honest, proper kiss…he refused to count that time under the bridge by the library. Though he knew that was her true first kiss, he refused to count it as _their_ first kiss. When he kissed her for the first time, he had decided, it wouldn’t be some quick peck of thanks. It would be slow, and long, and with that kiss he would show her exactly what she meant to him. Preferably, it would lead to more kisses – deeper, more passionate kisses that would eventually lead to…well.

 

He had told himself he couldn’t give her that kiss, though – not yet. Oh, but he had wanted to – so many times before then. When he had first seen her after the battle with Diabolos, when he had learned she was truly safe again. When she had awoken after healing him, after he had been so afraid the wish had taken her from him, as well. When she first moved to the castle and he realized they were one step closer to forever. When she sprawled out against him in the gardens, half-asleep from the lazy summer sun. When he bid her goodnight and had to continue on down the hall to his own room, so close and yet still too far away from her for his liking. When she danced with him like this, looking so unsure of herself and tempting him with the way she’d bite her lip.

 

It wasn’t the right time, he’d told himself. It wouldn’t be proper if he kissed her when she still looked so young, even if he had long ago accepted that she was much older than she looked. She wasn’t comfortable with the fact, and she seemed determined to halt any relationship until she looked her proper age. He had to let her grow, and when she looked closer to her true age…it seemed like such a ridiculous reason now, and one he found he couldn’t justify when she was nearly fully grown now and he still hadn’t done it.

 

“Arc?” her hesitant voice called him out of his musings, and he blinked in surprise. She looked nervous – scared, almost. “Did I…did I do something wrong? Did I mess up again?”

 

“No,” he said, smiling softly at her. He reached up and pressed his palm to her cheek, brushing his thumb under her eye. “You’re doing great, Forehead. You just need to stop looking at your feet so much. Go with the dance – follow my lead.”

 

She bit her lip again, nodding hesitantly, and he mentally groaned. Intentions be damned – this was torture. She called his name again, and he shook his head.

 

“Sorry,” he said, and she frowned. He gave her a sheepish grin. “Hey, Forehead…do you mind if I try something?”

 

“What?” she asked, and his grin turned a bit cocky. He brushed his thumb against the edge of her lips, and her frown deepened.

 

“Close your eyes,” he said, and after a moment’s hesitation she did so. He brought up his other hand to cradle her head, and the next moment her eyes were flying open as she felt his lips against hers. Her shock quickly gave way to eagerness, and her eyes slid closed as he gently explored her lips. His thumb was still brushing her cheek, and her arms slowly came up to wrap around his waist. She hummed in contentment, and despite all his best intentions for this first kiss…something in him snapped at that encouragement. He tugged her lower lip between his, licking along it, and he took her gasp as an invitation. He could feel her tense against him only a moment before she seemed to melt, giving herself wholeheartedly to the kiss as he lazily explored her. He finally pulled back, slightly due to a need for air and slightly because he was afraid of pushing her too far too soon, and he grinned when he saw the dazed look on her face.

 

“I’ve been dying to do that for too long now,” he said, and she blinked owlishly at him before she giggled. An eyebrow seemed to quirk of its own volition, and she smiled shyly at him. He loved that she could still manage to look shy around him after how much time they’d spent together – after how long they had, for all intents and purposes, been a ‘couple’.

 

“It’s about time,” she quipped. “I was beginning to think you were never gonna kiss me again.”

 

**Disappointed**

**_Note:_ ** _Hey, Psyche’s Rose, I’m a pirate and have commandeered your plunnies for[ Yucie’s Punishment](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5346863/1/Yucie-s-Punishment). Yarr. (Well, the original one or two chapters before your revamp? Wow I’m showing this vignette’s age…)_

 

_Gravity pulls, and we fall from the clouds._

_We prove to each other that we’re both human now…_

“All That I’m Asking For” – Lifehouse

 

He didn’t know what had been so difficult about it. Sure, he hadn’t told her all of the details, but he hadn’t wanted to scare her. He had trusted her to trust him, to understand why he was asking something so frustrating of her. To understand that, by asking her to stay at the palace under Frederik’s watch until he returned, he was just trying to keep her safe.

 

She hadn’t, of course. It didn’t help that he’d been gone for nearly a fortnight. It didn’t help that she was so impatient, that she would go stir-crazy even in a palace. He hadn’t expected to find her in the surrounding forest, cornered by the very beast he’d been – rather unsuccessfully – trying to track with the knights. He should have known she’d find it within minutes of escaping the walls. She was a bit of a danger magnet, after all.

 

“I wish you would say something.”

 

Her voice broke through the thundercloud of his mind, and he glanced down at her as they walked back through the halls to her room. She looked…guilty. Good – as she should. He didn’t think she realized just how much it had shaken him that night, seeing her staring down that thing; he had honestly believed he would lose her, and that…

 

“Right now, Yucie, I don’t have anything to say,” he said, voice tense. “Nothing useful, anyway. Nothing I wouldn’t hate myself for in the morning.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, and he stopped walking. She turned, stopping before him yet not looking at him. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I am. If I had known…I thought you were just being paranoid. No one was telling me anything, and I didn’t realize…I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.”

 

“You should have,” he said, and he hated how cold he sounded and the way she winced at his words. He wasn’t entirely sorry for it, though. “It’s not like I’d just throw you under house arrest for no reason, Forehead. You should have trusted that I knew what I was doing. You…what are you smiling at?”

 

“You called me ‘Forehead’,” she said, shyly grinning up at him. He paused, blinking as he thought back over his words and realized he had. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. A weak chuckle broke through. “You can’t be that mad at me if you’re still willing to tease me.”

 

“Little fool,” he said, and before she could comment he pulled her into a crushing hug. He held her close, breathing her in and exulting in the fact that she was there and safe and _alive_. “You don’t get it, Yucie. I thought I was going to lose you. I thought…”

 

“I know,” she whispered, wrapping her arms about his middle, “and I’m sorry. Just don’t keep me in the dark next time.”

 

“Just listen to me next time,” he pleaded, and she nodded.

 

“I can do that,” she said, burrowing closer to him. “I can do that.”


	6. ...like You're Going to Botch it Up

**Impressed**

Arc knew Yucie was growing. It was evident in the height she had gained and the way her figure was filling out. It was evident in the way she carried herself, an air of maturity (he refused to call it jading) that had settled over her since the trials of the Eternal Tiara. It was even evident in the way the other nobles had begun treating her with an air of respect and acceptance. They were finally starting to acknowledge her as one of their own instead of a child they were mildly annoyed by. Yes, slowly but surely, she was most definitely growing.

 

That didn’t mean he was necessarily acknowledging the fact, however – at least not fully. To an extent, he had always known she was older than she looked. It might have taken him a bit longer than it should have to recognize who she was, but once it clicked he knew she had to be much older than she looked, so when she told him about the curse it only made sense. But he had still insisted on treating her like a child, loving the rise he could get out of her through the teasing. Maybe that was why he still egged her on like he did.

 

Still, the first time he had fully realized she was growing up was…well. Physically, it was probably the day he had gone to hug her and found he didn’t have to bend quite as far to reach her. But really, the day that really stuck out in his mind was the day he had caught her practicing her swordsmanship with Gurenda. He remembered watching her defeat the Demon Princess with ease, much to the other girl’s chagrin, and he had made the mistake of heckling them both. That had led Gurenda to call him from his seat on the hillside, telling him that if he was “so damn sure” of himself, why not fight the brat himself?

 

He hadn’t wanted to, afraid that his larger size and years of experience would hurt her, but Yucie had been more than eager. As it turned out, her smaller size greatly played to her advantage as she was able to duck his strikes and quickly overpower him. The match had been over in a matter of moments, and the next thing he recalled he had been knocked to his ass with his sword a good two feet from his side. Gurenda had been in stitches, hooting and hollering as Yucie had gawked at him with an expression he was sure was just as shocked as his own.

 

“I…I won?” she asked, eyes darting from him to his sword and back. A grin cracked her face as she dropped her sword to jump up and down, cheering and showing so much of that spirit that was still undeniably _Yucie_. “I won! I won!”

 

“Serves you right, prince!” Gurenda called. “I can’t believe she knocked you on your ass!”

 

He couldn’t believe it, either.

 

They had taken up regular sparring sessions after that, and each time proved more challenging than he cared to admit. She was a gifted fighter, possessing a natural instinct that gave her a distinctive edge. If the thought didn’t make him so squeamish he would say he would be proud to see her on the front lines in any war. She was still Yucie, though, and the heat of battle was the last place he wanted her – a thought readily affirmed by the memory of the battle with Diabolos. Still, each day she proved more efficient, and he couldn’t deny he was impressed with her progress. She proved a worthy opponent, and she even managed to best Frederik the time he stepped in for a go.

 

“That’s what I get for choosing to marry the daughter of the Great Hero Gunberd,” he grumbled one day after a particularly trying match. A funny look crossed her face, and he smiled as he reached over and ruffled her hair. She batted his hand away, and he chuckled. “Relax, Forehead. It’s not a bad thing. You’re damned good at this.”

 

“Papa and I used to spar, actually,” she said, “so it’s not like I started the battle training with absolutely no experience. After the wars…well, he was a little paranoid. He wanted to make sure I could defend myself if I ever needed to. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but he wanted to know I could manage if it did.”

 

“Wise man,” he said, handing her a cup of water. “I mean it, though. It’s almost terrifying how good you are.”

 

“Ready for another go?” she asked, smirking, and he laughed.

 

“How about a ride instead? Or a nice relaxing stroll through the gardens? I don’t think I’ve got another go in me,” he quipped, rotating his shoulder for extra emphasis. She snorted and placed her sword next to his on the rack.

 

“You old man,” she teased, but before he could reply she grabbed his hands and looked up at him with that look she sometimes got, the one that said she still didn’t think she belonged. The one that said she doubted herself and her abilities. “You really think I’m good?”

 

“You keep beating me, don’t you? And Frederik!” he said, and she nervously worried her lip.

 

“You could be going easy on me,” she said, and he sighed as he pulled her closer.

 

“Yucie, believe me. I would not go easy on you,” he said. “Maybe that first time, but you had me on the defensive soon enough. There wasn’t a chance to go easy on you. You’re vicious, Forehead.”

 

She grinned at that and leaned up, tugging him down to kiss his cheek.

 

“Thanks, Arc. You’re the best,” she said, and he watched her a moment as she started to leave the training room. She glanced back at him, raising a brow to silently ask if he was coming, and he chuckled again before following after her. Yes, he was definitely impressed.

 

**Thoughtful**

Sometimes, even after months of royalty lessons, her simplistic roots still got the better of her. Like the first time she had received a compliment from Sir Humphrey, her stingy tutor, and had leapt upon the man with an exuberant hug to express her joy. Or the time his mother had been forced to shut down the Princess Academy due to a freak snow storm, and she had begun cheering and dancing on the balcony of her room – still barefoot and clad in only her nightdress. She was still, in her more energetic moments, prone to slide down one of the many banisters located in the palace, and he would more often find her in a tunic and leggings than the fancy gowns favored by the court.

 

He loved it. She was a breath of fresh air, not only in his own life but in the life of the entire palace. He knew the other nobles sometimes still looked down on her, thinking her simple and crass, but he didn’t care. He loved her quirky mannerisms.

 

Like how she was eighteen, now fully grown, and still insisted on wearing a costume to the Harvest Festival. And while her choice in outfits had changed since the previous year (he didn’t know how to feel about that; part of him loved the Fae dress she had donned, yet another part of him missed the skin her cat costume revealed – and another part entirely was all too glad no other male was seeing that skin), her energy about the occasion had not. She had dragged him out of the castle early that morning, claiming they simply _had_ to go to the festival, and he had trailed behind her all morning as she mingled with their people.

 

They had stopped by a gypsy booth where a man in bright colors was putting on a puppet show for the kingdom’s younger denizens. Yucie had taken up an argument with one of the puppets, and the children laughed as their future queen quipped with the toy. He felt his grin growing as the puppet finally conceded her point and handed her a beautiful rose. She thanked him for the bloom and made a show of smelling the flower, and he grinned as she tossed him a wink. After all, it was a lovely flower – but it wasn’t _their_ flower.

 

She curtsied to the puppeteer and bid farewell to the children, turning back to him in a twirl of skirts. The rose was tucked behind her ear, and he beamed at her as she approached him. He kissed her forehead, earning a blush and half-hearted glare (she had long since accepted it for the affection it was rather than the insult she perceived). Yes, he mused as she grabbed his hand and led him to another booth, she was definitely a breath of fresh air for the kingdom.

 

She was going to be a remarkable queen someday.

 

**Nervous**

He realized he was more shoving his food around on the plate instead of eating it, but his stomach was too busy doing acrobatics for his mind to care much. He pushed his eggs a little farther from the toast, watched as a sausage stabbed the yolk and defeated the purpose of separating them in the first place, then jumped at the too-loud clack of his mother’s silverware against her own plate. He looked up with guilty eyes to find her watching him, one eyebrow arched elegantly in that royal way perfected by years in the monarchy.

 

“All right, Aero, what is it?” she asked, and he tensed even more, if possible. When he didn’t answer, the brow tilted higher. “You’ve been jumpy all morning. What on earth is the matter?”

 

“N-nothing,” he said quickly. He took a quick bite of egg, but she wasn’t convinced by the show. As he chewed, she steepled her hands before her and leaned forward, smiling in that knowing way perfected by years of…well, being his mother.

 

“Aero, is there something you need to ask me?” she asked, her expression morphing into a satisfied smirk. “Or…perhaps it’s something you need to ask Lord Gunberd? And maybe you just want to ask me how to go about it?”

 

“What?!” his voice actually _squeaked_ with the question, and he choked on the last bits of egg he’d been attempting to swallow. He beat on his chest before leveling her with a glare. “What in the world makes you think that?!”

 

“Oh, just that a certain someone’s nineteenth birthday is fast approaching, and that certain someone has been spending an awful lot of time around you…or how that someone might finally look like a ‘proper adult’…or how she’ll be graduating in a few months….need I continue, Aero?” she asked, and he slumped back in his chair, defeated.

 

“Is it that obvious?” he asked, and – to his surprise – she laughed. No…that wasn’t a laugh. That was a giggle; a high-pitched, girlish giggle of the sort he’d never heard escape his mother. It was…a bit terrifying, honestly. For her part, the queen merely stood, placed her folded napkin on the table, and walked to where he sat at the opposite end. He looked up in confusion as she laid her hand on the table, the gesture making an odd, metallic _clack_.

 

“We really must look into a smaller table for our breakfasts, especially once Yucie joins us,” she said, smiling warmly at him. “This setup feels so…impersonal, don’t you think?”

 

“Mother?” he asked as she walked away, that strange giggle coming from her again. He looked back to the table to find a simple ring, silver with a round ruby its only adornment. His eyes widened as he recognized the ring, and he jumped as he heard her voice carrying from the door.

 

“Good luck, dear.”

 

**Lonely**

_I didn’t go down easy, but I went down nonetheless_

_What am I to do after all that we’ve been through?_

_There’s one thing that I ask._

_While I’m still on the floor, make for the door._

_Make it easy, make it fast._

_If you made up your mind, don’t you waste our time_

_If you’re leaving, won’t you go?_

_And if you’re gonna break my heart, please don’t break it slow…_

“Break It Slow” – Alan Doyle

 

She was quickly learning that a crowd of people or a spacious palace could be the loneliest place in the world. When you at least have friends nearby, it’s not so bad. When either you or those friends are too busy to find time for the other anymore, it gets a little worse. When the man you moved to said palace for begins distancing himself from you for reasons you can’t comprehend, it’s horrible.

 

She was sitting in the gardens when he found her, in that quaint little spot he’d showed her her first week there. She had come to think of it as their spot, but now…

 

She saw him reflected in the pond before her, and she closed her eyes to stem the tears pressing against her eyes.

 

“If you don’t want me here anymore…” she started, breathing deep to draw upon whatever strength she had left. She thought she heard him suck in a breath, but maybe that was just her mind playing tricks again. “If you don’t want me here anymore just say it. Stop playing games, Arc, and just tell me to leave.”

 

“Yucie…” he started, but he didn’t seem able to find the words. She stood and turned, pausing as she reached his side. Even seeing, knowing he was right there, he’d never felt more distant.

 

**Creative**

_It comes natural to be so cruel_

_To be an asshole to someone as good as you_

“Earthquake Weather” – Matt Nathanson

 

Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be.

 

After his mother had given him the ring, he had begun planning. Well, he had begun planning well before that…but now that someone else was in on it – now that someone else seemed to be encouraging him towards the final goal – his plans had begun to take a more solid form. Abstractions became more concrete, and scattered ideas molded together to form conglomerations that…well, weren’t all that great, really.

 

He was slightly blocked, if he was being honest. He knew he wanted to propose to her, he knew she would undoubtedly say yes (as his mother had said: they were practically already engaged; they just needed to make it official), but he still wanted to surprise her. And he wanted that surprise to be original, perfect…surprising. And he just couldn’t think of a clever way to go about doing it.

 

Of course, he knew he was probably over-thinking it – especially when those treacherous thoughts of her rejecting a proposal that wasn’t good enough entered his mind. He knew that was ludicrous, but it was still enough to cause him to panic when he’d run into her in the hall. Hindsight, avoiding her – flat-out running away at times – probably wasn’t the best idea, but he couldn’t risk her catching on. She had to be surprised, dang it.

 

“You’re going to botch it up,” Frederik said smoothly one afternoon. The crown prince glanced down from the tree he was sequestered in, arching a brow at his old friend. The queen’s personal guard returned the look, and the prince guiltily looked away.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, and Frederik sighed.

 

“Prince Aero, if I may be so bold…I doubt Princess Yucie honestly cares about the presentation. She just wants you to ask,” he said. Arc looked back up to the sky, biting the inside of his cheek as he mulled over the soldier’s words. “Further, if I were you I’d get to the asking before things are ruined beyond repair.”

 

“What are you talking about?” he asked, looking back down, and Frederik sighed again.

 

“If you have to ask, highness, perhaps you deserve a rejection,” he said. He turned to leave and hesitated. He looked back at the prince, who was again staring at the sky. “If I may, highness…why all the fuss? You know she’ll accept your hand no matter how you offer it. Why are you putting so much concern into this?”

 

“It’s Yucie, Frederik,” the prince sighed. “Isn’t she worth it? I know she’ll say yes, but…it should still be special. Something to surprise her. I’ve got to be creative, and you know that’s never been my strong point. Witty, charming, clever…got it in the bag. But creative? That’s a bit more difficult.”

 

Frederik didn’t look the least bit impressed, and to be honest he was ready to slap the prince. He had noticed how Yucie was acting these past few weeks, and while he knew Aero hadn’t fully clued in yet…he was still concerned. When it came to the prince, Yucie wasn’t bold enough to speak up – and Aero was too oblivious to realize what an ass he was being.

 

Yes, there was no possible way this could blow up in the prince’s face.

 

“Just stop mucking about and ask her soon,” Frederik quipped. “For all our sakes.”


	7. ...like the Dream is Ending

**Confused**

_Why’s it always me seeing questions marks in places where the answers used to be?_

_They say if you get lost, you can use the constellations to find your way back home_

_But if you don’t know where you are, and you don’t know where you started_

_How can you tell which way to go?_

“No More Sad Songs” – Kyler England

 

She didn’t understand.

 

After the Final Scene, it seemed he had left any hesitations about her behind. After she had moved into the palace, it seemed they were closer than ever. She had felt wanted, loved – and that was all before he’d actually said the words. After he first told her he loved her, it seemed he had made his intentions all too clear. As she neared graduation, his mother had started giving her knowing little looks. It seemed the queen was privy to some secret everyone seemed determined to keep from her. And he…

 

She didn’t know what to think anymore. The past two weeks, he seemed to be distancing himself from her. She saw less and less of him, and every time he was around he was so… _weird_. It was as if he was nervous about something, as if there was something he needed to discuss with her but couldn’t find the courage to do so. If she had been someone like Gurenda with an unending supply of self-confidence, she might have thought he was working up the courage to do something official like propose. But she was only Yucie, the farm girl-turned-princess, and she didn’t possess the self-confidence years in royalty bred.

 

As it was, she saw him staring out a window along the hall and felt her heart soar. She called his name, and he looked…panicked. Terrified. And then he ran, and she was left alone in the hall, staring after him and wondering what she had done to so effectively lose his affections.

 

**Envious**

_‘Cause there’s nothing holding the stars up in the sky,_

_No reason or rhyme to this life, nothing keeping us together – you and I, ‘cept you and I._

_I think the heart is what you make of it – it’s not love if it doesn’t hurt a bit._

_If we just hold on tight, we’ll get through this._

_You and I, I still believe in you and I._

“You And I” – Kyler England

 

She wouldn’t say she was jealous, really. The feeling of outright agitation that usually accompanied jealousy wasn’t there. This was more wistful, more melancholic…this was more envious, not jealous. After all, jealously usually involved wanting to deck whoever was invoking the feeling, and there was a distinct lack of wanting to punch people in the face.

 

 

She wanted to punch Arc in the face, quite frequently actually, but that was besides the point.

 

Still, there was a definite envy as she watched the couple across the street. They made it look so effortless, the way they flirted and quipped and all but shouted to the world had comfortable and secure they were with the other. Watching them, seeing the way he looked at her, Yucie had no doubt the boy was completely dedicated to his sweetheart. She had no doubt the girl had any reason to question his affections. Likewise, the girl was completely open with the boy: it was obvious she adored him. They flowed around each other, a fullness that comes from years of acquaintance and devotion perfecting their moves. And she would bet her life that, when problems arose, they came to a mutual understanding and acceptance of blame. He would probably seek forgiveness first, even if it was her fault, and she would never be stubborn enough to let their argument last longer than a day. He would never give her a reason to in the first place.

 

Then again, she didn’t really know them. Maybe they had just as many problems as she did with her…with whatever Arc was to her. Maybe to get to that point of familiarity they had years of henpecking and fistfights. Maybe behind closed doors they screamed louder than she did.

 

But on that street corner, dancing to the music of a passing bard, they didn’t look it. They looked like a storybook. They looked like what she wished she could be with Arc.

 

And no, she wasn’t jealous. But she most certainly was envious.

 

**Rejected**

The stables were quiet this time of morning. The light of early dawn filtered in through the doors, but the sun was still low enough to keep most of the world in shadow. That was fine. Perfect, really – it made things easier when you were taking the coward’s way out.

 

As the princess tightened the girth on Sunspray, the golden mare the queen had given her shortly after her arrival at the palace, her hand paused against the horse’s warm belly. Sunspray looked back at her, apprehension in the horse’s posture, and Yucie wondered if taking her was the best idea. Especially when she didn’t plan on keeping her. As soon as she was home…as soon as she back with her father, she’d send Cube back with the mare and a note of apology to the queen. She at least owed Erlsel that much.

 

“Come on, girl,” she whispered, leading Sunspray from her stall, “let’s go before the sun gets any higher.”

 

“And where are you planning on going, Yucie?”

 

She froze at the voice, coming just behind her from the direction of…she turned slowly, and there – standing by Mudpie’s stall – was Queen Erlsel. A look of supreme disappointment was in the queen’s eyes, but somehow Yucie knew it wasn’t directed at her. That didn’t stop her from feeling guilty, though.

 

“You know where, your majesty,” she said quietly. Sunspray nudged her shoulder, and Yucie placed a hand on the mare’s muzzle as the queen approached.

 

“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Erlsel said, and Yucie winced at her words.

 

“What else would it come to? I…was under the impression the bulk of my duties here stemmed from my impending marriage to Aero,” she said, ignoring the queen’s frown at her use of the prince’s proper name. “Now that that’s not happening, I don’t see why I should be required to stay.”

 

“Yucie, you’re being ridiculous,” Erlsel said, reaching out to grasp her hand. “You know Aero still has every intention to marry you.”

 

“No, he doesn’t!” Yucie shouted, whipping about so fast her vision nearly spun. Sunspray stepped back, agitated by the sudden aggression in the girl. “You know he doesn’t! He can’t! If he did, he wouldn’t be treating me like I was the plague! He wouldn’t be running away from me, or acting like he wished I was gone…and I tried to get him to make me leave, but he wouldn’t, so –”

 

“And isn’t that the proof there that he doesn’t want you to go?” Erlsel asked, but Yucie shook her head.

 

“He’s just a coward,” she bit.

 

“And yet you are the one attempting to sneak away from the palace before the sun’s even risen,” Erlsel said. She sighed and squeezed Yucie’s hand. “My dear, remember who my son is. Did you honestly think I hadn’t seen the signs of an escape attempt before? More importantly, did you honestly think I’d let you leave?”

 

“Are you to tell me I am a prisoner here, then?” Yucie bit, and Erlsel quickly shook her head.

 

“Never that,” she said. “You know I think of you as a daughter, Yucie. I would never trap you here.”

 

“Then you’ll let me go?” Yucie asked, but again Erlsel shook her head.

 

“I would never trap you here, but I cannot let you leave, either. At least not without earnestly begging you to reconsider,” she said. “Yucie, give him a bit more time. If the situation has not improved by the graduation ball…then the very next day, I will escort you back to Sir Gunberd myself.”

 

“You seem so sure that he actually cares anymore…” Yucie mumbled, and Erlsel laughed.

 

“My dear, I know he does. He just needs to stop being so stubborn and let you know that, too,” she said, winking at her. The princess remained unconvinced. She turned back to Sunspray, resting her head against her muzzle before nodding.

 

“All right. Until the ball,” she said, “but the very next morning, I return to my father.”

 

“The very next morning,” Erlsel agreed, but silently she prayed with all she had that that would not be the case.

 

**Sad**

_We came, we saw, we conquered and crumbled_

_In our own true way_

_We loved, we fought, we rocked, and we tumbled_

_In our own true way_

“Own True Way” – Great Big Sea

 

“Whoooooo!” Gurenda let out a whoop as she waved her arm above her head. Beth cried out as liquid was flung from the bottle in the Demon Princess’s hand, but Gurenda’s mood was undeterred by the Fairy Princess’s shout. Her arm just came back down, looping around Beth’s neck as she gave the girl a lascivious grin. “What’s the matter, huh? It’s just a little wine – and we’re celebrating here!”

 

“I don’t mind the wine. I just prefer drinking it, not wearing it!” Beth snapped, snatching the bottle from Gurenda and taking a swig. Gurenda cackled, slapping her knee in delight.

 

Yucie smiled at her friends’ antics, and for the first time in a long time it was a truly genuine smile. They had every right to celebrate: they had finally completed their second stint at the Princess Academy. They had left the graduation ceremony a few hours before, and the next night Erlsel was throwing a celebratory ball for the girls.

 

It would be her last night at the palace.

 

She pushed the melancholy thought away and took a sip from the fizzy, alcohol-free beverage she had insisted on when Gurenda pulled out the wine. Though Gurenda would claim she had every right to get completely pissed off her rocker, and would most likely even encourage it, Yucie couldn’t bring herself to drink – at least not yet. She still had to be level-headed for the ball tomorrow, and somehow she didn’t think getting drunk would help her deal with her Aero situation any better.

 

She had given him the time Erlsel had asked for. He had made nothing of it. And now, the morning after the morrow’s ball, she would be…

 

But enough of those thoughts. She was here to celebrate with her friends, and celebrate she would. The past year had been exhausting, but in the end she had survived. And now…well, anything, she guessed. The day really was the start of a new chapter, one she had been waiting a long time to start writing. No more curse. No more school. No more palace. She was completely starting over, and so much was going to change –

 

“You’re drinking too much – it’s my turn!” Gurenda shouted, snapping her out of her thoughts. She smiled as Beth held the bottle just out of the demon’s reach. Well, maybe not that much.

 

“You would think Miss Gurenda would have been smart enough to procure more than one bottle,” Kokoru said, smiling in that way she had that Yucie couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable or embarrassed. Even after two years of friendship, she was still as proper as ever. Yucie doubted she would ever be comfortable with Gurenda’s brasher nature.

 

“She did. She had to have,” Yucie said, looking back to them. “Gurenda’s smarter than that.”

 

“One would wonder,” Erumina said, sipping her tea. Yucie laughed as she leaned back in her chair.

 

“I wonder a lot with Gurenda, but not when it comes to her spirits. That woman can hold her liquor,” she said. Kokoru snorted on a giggle, and Yucie grinned at her. She was no doubt recalling their last trip to the beach, where Gurenda had gotten so drunk…well. The next morning hadn’t been pretty, and that weekend had been enough to convince Yucie she should probably stay away from the harder stuff Gurenda was so fond of.

 

“I’m the Princess of the Demon World,” Gurenda had said. “Vices are part of the job description.”

 

She leaned back against her chair and took another sip of her drink. She grinned at Kokoru.

 

“So…what’s next, Kokoru? What are you planning on doing now that you’re free of the Princess Academy?” she asked, and Kokoru shrugged.

 

“To be honest, I’m not really sure,” she said. She glanced over at Beth, a warm smile curling her lips. “I know I must return home to the Spirit World, as I have duties there that have been long neglected during my time here. But…well. I have some reasons to return, on occasion.”

 

Yucie beamed, happy for her friend. It hadn’t been easy for the girl, what with her shyness and horrible self-image. She had grown so much over the past two years; Yucie couldn’t be more proud of her. And then when they had met Beth…Yucie had secretly been pulling for them since the beginning, since she first noticed the blushes and flustered conversations the two were so fond of. It was obvious they were perfect for each other, and yet the reception of the budding relationship hadn’t exactly been positive. For Beth’s people, that she was interested in being with another princess was no big deal; however, the Spirit World was a bit more…old-fashioned. Their road certainly hadn’t been easy.

 

“So you’ve spoken to your father, then?” Erumina asked, a look of genuine concern and friendship softening her expression. Kokoru gave her a weak smile.

 

“…yes. He’s still not…overly fond of the idea, but…he’s willing to give it a chance. The last time we spoke, he said keeping me in his life was more important than sounding off over any potential romantic interests,” she said. Erumina’s smile was slightly pained, no doubt due to her own father issues, but she seemed genuinely happy for her friends.

 

“I’m glad things are looking up for you two,” she said. “You both deserve happiness.”

 

“And what about you, Erumina?” Yucie asked. Erumina jumped at the question, turning surprised eyes on the girl. “What are you next big plans?”

 

“I am returning to Heaven to resume my duties there,” she said. “Father has informed me that I will be meeting my fiancée upon my return – oh, yes. There will be a ball to announce the engagement in a fortnight. You will both attend, won’t you?”

 

“Wait – you’re getting engaged?!” Yucie nearly shouted, loud enough to draw the attention of their bickering and blitzed friends.

 

“WHAT?!” Gurenda shouted, dropping the bottle she had finally procured from Beth to the ground and shattering it.

 

“It is tradition in Heaven for betrothals to be arranged by the parents at a young age,” Erumina said calmly. “I have been engaged the entire time I’ve known you, though this week will be the first time I am meeting my intended.”

 

“I can’t believe you never told us! That is so like you! You…you…I can’t believe you’re just springing this on us like it’s no big deal!” Gurenda snapped, stalking over and plopping down in the chair next to Erumina. Beth slid in next to Kokoru, casually slinging an arm around her shoulders.

 

“Congratulations…I think? This is a good thing, right?” she asked, and Erumina nodded with her usual reserve.

 

“I am…pleased,” she said. “It is what is expected of me. I have no objections to the arrangement, at any rate.”

 

“Erumina…” Yucie said, something in her heart cracking at her friend’s words. Erumina looked at her, and the propriety faded away as the angel gave her a genuine smile.

 

“Not every realm allows their rulers to marry for something as honorable as true love,” she said, “and I will not fight my father or my kingdom on this issue. I am content with their decision, Yucie.”

 

“If you’re happy with it, then we’re happy for you. And we’ll definitely be there,” Yucie said, smiling as she grabbed her hand in both her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

 

“And will you bring Prince Aero?” Erumina asked, and there it was again. Silence settled over the table, and Yucie’s gaze had locked onto the cup she was holding almost as firmly as her hands were gripping it. She hadn’t mentioned her relationship troubles to her friends yet. Well…she’d broken down the week before to Kokoru, who – judging from the looks she was getting – had undoubtedly told Beth, but Gurenda and Erumina seemed confused by her sudden sullen demeanor.

 

“I…that might not be happening,” Yucie finally said. “Actually, after the ball tomorrow, I’m moving back home. Aero and me –”

 

“Wait, wait, wait – ‘Aero’?” Gurenda asked, her eyes wide. “Since when do you actually call the Prince by his real name?”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t gonna think about this today – aren’t we supposed to be celebrating?” Yucie asked, throwing on a fake grin, but her friends still looked concerned. She sighed and looked back to her cup. “Guys, I’m ok, I promise. I’ll explain everything, just…not today? I want to focus on being happy for everyone today. And…”

 

“Yucie?” Erumina asked, and Yucie grinned at her.

 

“I’ll be there,” she said, and this time the smile seemed more genuine. “I wouldn’t miss your party for the world, Erumina.”

 

None of the others looked fully convinced, but they let it slide and went back to celebrating their graduation. There would be time for more serious discussions later.

 

**Jealous**

He felt his face tighten as his eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. The look was focused on the back of the coiffed-up head flirting with _his_ intended. The duke had been accosting her for most of the night, and what was worse…she seemed to be _enjoying_ it. She would laugh at his stories, smile the entire time they spoke in a way that was just a bit too friendly for his liking, and he even caught her blushing a few times at some compliment the duke had paid her.

 

Like that blush that stained her lovely face right now, even as the duke reached up and brushed a stray bit of hair out of her eyes. His fists clenched behind his back, and he forced himself to look away. Back to the ball, to the couples twirling around on the dance floor. That should be them, out there dancing and having a grand old time, instead of standing on opposite ends of the ballroom with a pretentious duke flirting with her while he was forced to watch and do nothing.

 

The whole ball was ludicrous. His mother just loved to throw a party, and she often looked for even the most meager excuse to hold a ball. Tonight it was to celebrate the girls’ graduation from the Princess Academy. He was beginning to think it was just her way of playing matchmaker for them all.

 

Yucie’s laugh caught his ear again, and he felt a growl rip from his chest as the duke took her hand and began leading her to the dance floor.

 

“Highness?” Frederik asked, startled by his actions. He didn’t bother answering his guard.

 

“The hell she will…” he bit out, moving quickly to intercept the duke before they could begin their dance. He’d be damned if she was dancing with anyone other than him that night…


	8. ...like You're an Idiot

**Flirty**

“My dear princess, whatever are you doing here unescorted?” she jumped at the voice to her side and turned, smiling as she saw Duke Edmund Cunningham. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles, giving her a winning smile. “Highness.”

 

“And how do you know I’m unescorted for the evening?” she asked, smiling kindly. Her smile faltered for only a moment, long enough for her to look across the room and see Aero speaking with Frederik, and Edmund gave her a knowing look.

 

“Highness, with all due respect, I’m not as simple-minded as some would have you believe,” he said. “I’ve been here all night. You arrived with no one, and no one has approached you in the manner of an escort. Frankly, I’m offended on your behalf. How dare these gentlemen let a lovely woman such as yourself slip by them unnoticed? And at your own ball!”

 

“It’s the Queen’s ball,” she corrected, looking away with a blush. “Queen Erlsel threw the party for all of us Princess Candidates’ graduation. If I’d had my say I would have stayed away for the evening.”

 

“Oh?” Edmund asked, and she gave him a conspiratorial look as she held up a hand to stage whisper, “Corsets. Can’t stand ‘em.”

 

He gave a boisterous laugh, and she grinned impishly. Her gaze shot over to Aero again, unbidden, and she noticed he was scowling at them. She lifted her chin in defiance and turned her attention back to Edmund. Screw Aero – if he wasn’t going to give a damn, neither would she. Besides, Edmund was kind and a good friend; who was she to spurn his attentions because His Royal Jerkness was PMSing?

 

“My dear, while I can’t say I fully appreciate your discomfort, I must say the effects are enchanting,” Edmund said once he’d regained his composure. He gave her a lascivious look, and she felt her face light up. “They are rather…enhancing, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

“My good duke, are you oogling my chest?” she quipped, and he laughed again. She grinned, laughing with him, and he winked at her.

 

“Highness, I do believe I’ve been found out,” he said. His eyes raked over her for a moment, and she found she was only slightly uncomfortable with the appraising look. “But can one blame me, when you are wearing such a lovely gown? I must say that particular shade of red is a lovely match for you.”

 

“You’re too kind,” she said, smiling shyly. The duke went to reply when surprise – and a bit of fear – suddenly appeared in his blue eyes, and she squeaked as she felt a tug on her arm.

 

**Frustrated**

_It’s finally come – is that sorry on your breath?_

_Where were you when I was sitting back here missing you to death?_

_It don’t matter now…_

“It Don’t Matter Now” – Alison Krauss

 

“Aero!” she gasped as he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Duke Cunningham – Edmund, as he’d asked her to call him. They weren’t two steps from the spluttering duke before Aero rounded on him, sending a furious glare his way as his grip tightened on her wrist.

 

“She’s mine,” he said, and she wanted to smack him for the possessive, chauvinistic way he referred to her. The hell she was, she wanted to shout. “Back off, Cunningham.”

 

The duke was stunned into silence as Aero tugged on her arm again, dragging her away from the ball and whispering nobles who had witnessed the scene and out to the balcony. She fought him the entire way, but he persisted – once they’d gone outside, she’d had enough. She tugged her wrist from his grasp and used the momentum to round on him, slapping him soundly across his cheek. He gawked at her in stunned silence, but his expression softened as he saw the furious tears in her eyes.

 

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she seethed, shaking in her rage. Her breath was heaving, and he wondered if she would slap him again. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”

 

“He was flirting with you!” he protested, and she arched a brow imperiously – something she had picked up from him, he knew.

 

“So?!” she asked, and he was gawking at her again. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him; she looked royally put out. “Don’t look so shocked! Just because you aren’t interested anymore doesn’t mean someone else can’t be!”

 

“What in the world –?” he started, and she rounded on him again. He winced at the look on her face. He could clearly see her confusion, hurt, and frustration – surely she didn’t honestly believe he didn’t…but then he saw it, and he knew that she did. She had lost faith in his love – in him.

 

“Exactly! What the hell?!” she snapped. “For a month now you’ve been avoiding me, practically fleeing every time you’re given a chance to be within five feet of me! I told you to tell me to leave, but you wouldn’t – and when I tried to go myself your mother stopped me!”

 

She had tried to leave?

 

“I’m not…I’m not an idiot, Ar…Aero.”

 

It cut like a knife, the way she used his proper name.

 

“I can see when I’m not wanted anymore,” she continued, turning away from him. She walked over to the rail and gripped it, staring out over the forest. “But how dare you act like you’ve still got any kind of claim on me when you’ve clearly relinquished it. Edmund was just being kind, and you were a royal ass to him. So what if he was flirting with me? I don’t see how it’s any of your concern anymore.”

 

“You little fool,” he whispered, and she fought the urge to slap him again. If she had been looking, she would have seen the way he was shaking his head – talking more to himself than her. “You arrogant little fool…”

 

“Wh– ?!” she started, turning to yell at him some more, but he was against her in a flash. He was kissing her suddenly, fiercely, violently – pushing her back against the railing as he all but devoured her. She knew she should push him away, knew she should stop this, but…damn it all if she didn’t still love him. If she didn’t still want him. Her body responded without her permission, her hands reaching up to snake through his hair as he pulled her closer. When he pulled away, he was watching her with such a fierce passion it terrified her.

 

“I’ve been a damned fool, Yucie,” he said, reaching up to rub his thumb against her cheek. She frowned in confusion, and he shook his head. “I’ve been so nervous about proposing to you, terrified that you’d say no, and here I’ve gone and pushed you away.”

 

She blinked at him, comprehension dawning in her eyes as her jaw dropped. She spluttered, stumbling over the word ‘proposing’ as she realized what he had just told her. He watched, nervous and anxious and suddenly so afraid he’d done too much damage to ever get that ‘yes’ from her, when suddenly she was kissing him again.

 

She was too overjoyed to remain mad at him now, but oh she was going to kill him later…

 

**Good**

“Are we ok?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She wouldn’t look up at him, but she didn’t move away, either. They had escaped the graduation ball hours before after his impromptu jealous fit and subsequent marriage proposal, and he had taken her back to his room for some well overdue catching up. She was currently lying atop him, her head nestled under his chin as she drew lazy circles on his chest. One of his arms was propped behind his head as the other held her close. For a moment, he was afraid she wouldn’t answer.

 

For a moment, she didn’t know if she could. Were they? It had been a horrible month, and he had actually let her reach the point where she believed he didn’t love her anymore – where she let another man flirt with her, even flirted back, because she honestly believed they were over. And all for what? Because he had been afraid she wouldn’t accept him in marriage? Because he had been too scared to propose, even though they had been as good as engaged already? It was idiotic, and she wanted to slap him again for it. She knew, had she not been so exhausted from the emotional tempest he’d put her through, she probably would have. But in that moment, right then in his arms…she wasn’t so sure she wanted to. She was relieved he still wanted her, though she still for the life of her couldn’t understand why, and she was thankful the whole affair had been sorted (for the most part). For now, she just wanted to lie there with him and remember what it felt like to have him love her. She knew they still had things they needed to discuss, but she didn’t want to tackle those hard questions just then. She just wanted him.

 

“Forehead?” he asked, and her eyes closed as she let that feeling wash over her. How long had it been since he’d called her that? Since he’d let himself get close enough to? Before he could question her again, she pushed herself up until she was straddling him, and she leaned down to press her lips against his. He grasped her hips, his thumbs rubbing absentmindedly against the fabric of her dress as he returned her attentions. He wasn’t sure how she meant to answer his question, but he was just grateful to be kissing her again. She relaxed against him, letting her hips slide back until they were over his and he was groaning, and he felt her smirk against his lips. He held her fast, arching slightly until she gasped.

 

“N-no,” she said, pulling back, and he frowned at her in a dazed sort of confusion. She smiled softly at him and placed her palm against his cheek. “We’re not ok yet, Arc, but we’re good, and we will be.”

 

**Enraged**

_Maybe I’m the joker – maybe I’m the fool in your eyes_

_Maybe I’m the weak one – maybe I’m a lie in disguise_

_Maybe I’m angry ‘cause I’m the one who’s always wrong_

_Maybe I’m not the one who’s so strong_

_Did you think about it? Did you pour it in and pour it out?_

_Could you live without me? Did you ever really have a doubt?_

_But do you understand it, baby, when you say it’s over it’s done?_

_Maybe I’m not the one_

“If You’re Gonna Leave” – Emerson Hart

 

He had been warned beforehand, but the reality of how far away he’d pushed her hadn’t really struck home until he’d seen her flirting with that duke. The fire in her eyes and the venom in her voice as she verbally ripped him a new one on the balcony outside the ball only served as the final nails in his coffin, and he had never thought until that moment that – thanks to his stupidity – he might actually lose her.

 

The thought was downright terrifying.

 

So when she’d told him later that night that they were good, giving him every reason to believe she was willing to work on getting better (back to where they were before), he had been hopeful. He’d believed her. They’d spent the night in his room, curled in his bed (perfectly innocent – they had done nothing more than hold each other), and when he woke to find her still pressed firmly to his chest he had every reason to believe they were going to be just fine.

 

A week later…well, he wasn’t quite as sure.

 

“You broke her heart,” Frederik told him bluntly as he tacked up Mudpie for an afternoon run. “You made her believe you no longer loved her and had every intention to send her home once the graduation ball was over. Wounds like that do not simply heal overnight, highness. Did you expect any different?”

 

Yes, actually. He had.

 

The week following the ball, Yucie had…well, she’d tried. Maybe. In her own way. But for the most part, she had been outright hostile towards him. Any conversation was clipped or snapped, and there was a frostiness about her that gave him genuine concern. And yet every time he questioned her, a look of guilt would flash through her eyes, and she would apologize, kiss his cheek, and hurry away.

 

A week ago he had her convinced he no longer wanted a future with her. Now, she was doing a bang-up job of convincing him of the same.

 

“That still doesn’t mean she has to be such a…” Arc stopped just before the word could slip out his mouth. _Bitch_ , he’d been thinking, and the alacrity of his thoughts sent a shiver of disgust down his spine. He knew Yucie had a temper on her – it was one of the things he loved most about her – but never had he thought something so mean-spirited and vicious towards her. At least not with such hateful intent.

 

No more words were spoken between them as he set off for his ride. He was a good ways from the palace when he spotted her ahead of him. He had been so eager to simply get away he hadn’t even noticed Sunspray had been missing from the stables. But there was something about the sight before him, the thought of Yucie furiously riding away from him, that caused something in him to…snap. A week of fighting, packed on top of a month of avoiding her and the unnecessary strain it had caused their relationship, caused a flash of…what? Anger? Jealousy? Fear? Some unintelligible tangle of emotions, none good, swirled in his gut as he watched her ride ahead of him. And suddenly…he couldn’t let her do that. He couldn’t let her ride away, leaving him behind in the mess he’d made. They were going to fix this, damn it, and she was going to have to work with him to do so.

 

Mind blinded by rage or some other feeling that made his skin crawl, he kicked his spurs into Mudpie’s flanks and encouraged an extra burst of speed from him. It was risky. It was dangerous. A lifetime of riding had taught him he should never do what he was about to attempt: they could both end up severely injured or worse from a stunt like this. But in his mind, all he could see was Yucie screaming at him. The iciness of the past week. Yucie riding away from him, for good. And he couldn’t let her.

 

She turned in shock when she heard him approach, and he could see a hesitant smile start to curl her lips – until she saw the sheer determination in his eyes. Until she saw him grab for her reigns.

 

“Arc, what the he-?!” she started, but Sunspray was already rearing with a mighty cry, causing Yucie to topple backwards – but she never hit the ground. He snagged an arm around her waist and tugged her onto Mudpie, crowding her into his lap, and she screamed as her arms immediately wrapped tight around his neck. Mudpie reared, startled by the noise and Sunspray racing away from them, but he called out in a steady voice – and years of trust calmed the horse, who slowed into a frustrated stop. They had entered a clearing in the woods, and Sunspray was running around, tossing her head about in agitation.

 

He would have laughed, had pulling Yucie from her horse not been such an idiotic thing to do – had he not been so pissed over the past week, or had Yucie not begun hitting him the second her heart had started to calm.

 

“What the hell, Arc?!” she shouted, pounding her fists into his chest. He caught her wrists easily and held them back, leveling her with an annoyed look she matched glare for glare. “You could’ve gotten us killed! What the hell were you thinking?!”

 

But no sooner were the words out of her mouth than he was silencing her in a furious sort of kiss. She tried to pull back, most likely to scream at him some more, but he was done with screaming. He was done with this petty war she was raging, of being treated like the bad guy (ok, he was, but still!) – of not moving forward. Not moving past this. Damn it, he wanted her back, and was it too much to ask that she at least try to make an effort to show he still had her? And just as he thought the fight was going out of her, she pushed herself against him. It was an awkward sort of scrambling that, had he not been such an excellent horseman, would have knocked them both to the forest floor. Even then, he had trouble remaining upright in the saddle as she returned his kiss with equal ferocity. Mudpie neighed, the sound clearly displeased at whatever was happening on his back, but Arc’s mind was so far from his favorite horse at that moment. All he could feel was Yucie and the sheer violence in her kiss. Gone was her usual hesitation, replaced by raw fury and desperation and gods, would he ever get enough of her?

 

He pulled back only when it became a necessity, and he rested his forehead against her own as they panted for breath. She glared up at him, an uncertain sort of gleam in her eyes, and his hand tightened on her hip.

 

“What the hell, Arc?” she asked again, her voice rough from their activities.

 

“I get that I fucked up,” he said, and she started. Her eyes widened, and he wondered if she had ever heard him swear before – at least to that severity. Usually he kept away from the harsher words, as per his title. But this…he was too frustrated to care, and Yucie would understand. He had heard that word slip from her more than once. “But now you’re fucking up, too. I can’t pay penance for the rest of our lives, Yucie. If we’re going to move past this we have to move past this, and you need to stop treating me like complete shit because of one stupid mistake.”

 

She looked so young at that moment, like a properly scolded child, and the thought almost made him sick – but they needed this. He needed to say it, and she needed to hear it. There was too much in the pile, and they needed to burn it all if they had any hope of fixing the mess he’d made.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t handle things well, and for a damned stupid reason, but I’m in this. I want you. I want us. And I don’t want to walk away, but if you don’t start showing me you want us, too, I’ll have no choice,” he said. He closed his eyes and brought a hand up to cradle her cheek in his palm. “Don’t make me walk away, Forehead.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice small. “I didn’t…damn it, Arc, you know I love you. I was hurt, and you…I’m scared. I want to let you back in, but I’m so scared that you’ll just shut me out again. I…”

 

“Stop it, Yucie,” he said, his voice firm. He tightened his grip on her cheek, forcing her to look back at him. “I’m in this. I’m not going to say I won’t be stupid again – we both know I will – but never again will I give you any reason to doubt my commitment to you. So stop being so damned insecure and own up to that title you rightly earned. You belong here, and I’m keeping you here. So let’s both stop being idiots now, all right?”

 

He smiled at her, the first honest smile they’d shared in a long time, and she choked on a laugh. She collapsed against his chest, and he held her close as she giggled at him. He was concerned she wouldn’t answer him, but only for a moment before he felt her nod.

 

“All right,” she said, and he sighed in relief. “We can stop being idiots now.”

 

**Refreshed**

_After all the battles and the wars, the scars and loss_

_I’m still the queen of my domain and feeling stronger now_

_The walls are down a little more each day_

_Since you came, finally…finally things are changing_

_This land is mine, but I’ll let you rule – I let you navigate and demand_

_Just as long as you know…this land is mine._

_So find your home and settle in – oh, I’m ready to let you in_

_Just as long as we know…this land is mine._

“This Land Is Mine” – Dido

 

Two weeks after the graduation ball found them in a vast ballroom in Heaven’s grand palace. They had arrived almost half an hour before to find her other friends were already there, and they had staked a corner of the room as their own to catch up and chat. Erumina and her intended still had not made their presence known; Arc assumed they were waiting for all of the guests to arrive before the announcement was made. He didn’t entirely mind, except the non-angels in attendance had been given these awkward wings that fitted onto their backs to keep them from…well, falling through the floor. He had assumed they would be fine once they reached the stone floor of the ballroom, but their hosts had insisted. It was a sign of cultural respect.

 

Sometimes he really hated being a royal. Stupid dignitary obligations.

 

He sipped the champagne he had snagged from a passing waiter and glanced at his own intended. Erlsel, conscious of Yucie’s obligation to her friend, had planned their own engagement ball for the next week; she had wasted no time, always eager for another party.

 

To be honest, he was grateful their ball had landed three weeks after graduation ball. Not that he wasn’t eager to announce his engagement to Yucie, but after the past month…well. They had needed some time, to relearn each other and soothe wounds he had carelessly – unintentionally – inflicted. They were much better, but not quite back to where they had been before…well, before he had been so stupid.

 

“Hey,” Yucie said a moment later, startling him out of his musings. He looked down to see her pressed against his side, an arm slung around his waist. She grinned up at him, and he grinned back. “You look broody.”

 

“I’m not,” he said, taking a moment to let his eyes rove over her. All five of them were wearing the toga-style garb of Heaven, though the outfits were coordinated to match the colors of their worlds’ respective crystal flowers. Yucie, in turn, was dressed in a pale yellow dress that clung to her perfectly, modest while still accenting her figure.

 

“And now you’re looking at me funny,” she said, her grin turning a tad mischievous. He rolled his eyes and looked back the party, quickly sipping his champagne to avoid answering her. She leaned a bit closer, placing her free hand on his chest. “Hey, it’s ok to look at me, you know.”

 

He looked down at her again, and his smile turned warm. He leaned down, placing his lips next to her ear, and whispered, “Don’t tempt me, princess. If I had my way, I’d never look away again.”

 

“Now you’re just being silly,” she said, but her voice sounded a little breathy. He loved that he had that effect on her. She opened her mouth, ready to add to her comment, but the large doors at the end of the hall opened and trumpets sounded. The crowd silenced as the King of Heaven entered, and Yucie straightened so she wasn’t fully leaning on him anymore – a sign of respect, he knew, but he couldn’t say he didn’t miss the contact. Shortly after the king’s entrance he began a long speech about his daughter, her intended, and their engagement. He couldn’t help but notice how Yucie nudged closer to him the longer the king talked or the growing smile on her face. Accepting the engagement hadn’t been the easiest thing for Yucie, who was a big advocate of True Love and didn’t understand why Erumina would marry for any other reason, but she had slowly come around. She still wasn’t the biggest fan of this arrangement, but she understood why her friend was doing it – and that her friend was more than happy with her decision, which made her happy. All she ever wanted for her loved ones was for them to be happy, and if Erumina was happy with this then she would be happy for her.

 

As Erumina and her intended, a tall man with shoulder-length blonde hair (he held a creepy resemblance to the king, in Arc’s opinion), passed through the door, a loud clapping sounded through the room. It was a perfect example of the usual reserve of Heaven’s citizens – a reserve that was broken by the corner he was standing in, where Yucie, Gurenda, and Beth were cheering and clapping wildly. He rolled his eyes and shared an exasperated look with Kokoru at the girls’ antics, but he also saw the smile and look of gratitude Erumina gave her friends. The couple was required to share a dance before they took their place by the king’s throne, where the guests approached them to offer congratulations. Yucie grabbed his hand and raced with the others to the front of the line, and after speaking with Erumina and – what was his name? Adonil? – the rest of the party went by in a bit of a blur.

 

Heaven was very different from what he was used to. The angels were much more formal, and where his mother’s balls consisted of hours of dancing this party was more a social gathering. They stood around talking most of the evening, and it seemed that initial dance would be the only dance of the evening. He was on his fourth champagne and humoring an older angel by listening to an extremely dull story when Yucie crashed into his side. Her arms snaked around his waist, and she rested her chin on his chest as she grinned up at him and said a quiet hello. The elder man blinked in surprise as his story was interrupted, but far from seeming upset he seemed…amused. He chuckled at the princess’s exuberance, and Arc leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her eyes closed, and a warm smile turned her lips.

 

“You must be Princess Yucie, the Platina Princess?” the angel asked, and Yucie jumped in surprise.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry – did I interrupt your conversation?” she asked, looking genuinely chagrined. The elder chuckled and waved her off.

 

“Don’t be silly, young one,” he said. “I don’t mind. I’m sure I was boring your prince here something awful. Why don’t you go entertain your lady, Prince Aero?”

 

“Oh, no, I couldn’t –” Yucie started, but the angel waved her off again.

 

“Of course you can,” he said. He looked beyond them, and a warm smile appeared on his face. “Besides, I do believe I see my wife over there. I would like to speak with her, as well.”

 

Arc grinned as the angel excused himself, and he looked back to Yucie with a smile of his own. She was following the man with her eyes, and he nudged her shoulder to regain her attention.

 

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, and she shrugged.

 

“I’ve just been thinking…” she started, and he arched a brow at the pensive look on her face.

 

“About?” he asked, and when she looked back at him he was discouraged to see a shadow over her smile.

 

“Us,” she said, and he held her closer.

 

“Yucie, don’t tell me you’re rethinking the engagement. I know I was an idiot, but I thought –” he started, and she quickly shook her head.

 

“No, no – it’s not that,” she said. She rested her head back against him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s just…I’ve been kind of awful to you lately, and you didn’t really…well, ok. Maybe you deserved a little of it. But I sort of understand why you did what you did. I don’t agree with it, but I understand you were scared. I don’t know why, but you were. And I’ve been taking it out on you for three weeks now.”

 

“You have been a little snappy lately,” he mused, and she gave a light stomp on his foot.

 

“Shut up,” she said. “My point is…I’m sorry. I just want to get past all this and be ok again. I love you, Arc, and I could easily be in Erumina’s place right now, but I’m not. I’m here, with you, and you’re a big fat stupid jerk, but I’m just going to have to be ok with that. It’s you, and I love you. So…I’m gonna try, from here on out, to stop being such a bitch to you.”

 

“That’s very big of you,” he said, rolling his eyes, and she stomped his foot again. He laughed and rubbed her back, shaking his head. “I’m teasing. Yucie, I’d like nothing more than to be back in your good graces. I was an idiot, yes, but I’d like to think we could move forward from that. So…we’re ok now? No more running, no more fighting, no more being stupid?”

 

“Well, there’s always gonna be fighting – it is us we’re talking about – and we’re always gonna be stupid, but –” she started, and this time he nudged her foot. She giggled and nodded. “Yeah, we’re ok now. I love you, you big dummy.”

 

“And I love you, Forehead. Hey…I know it doesn’t seem to be the norm here, but dance with me?” he asked. He had missed the opportunity to dance with her at the last ball they’d attended, and while he planned to more than make up for it at their own engagement ball the band was playing a lovely string number and he couldn’t pass up the chance to give her a spin. She smiled, and he could feel her nod against him.

 

“A dance would be lovely.”


	9. ...like a Day Out is Hard to Get

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That M rating starts to come into play in this chapter for heated smoochies and such~

**Optimistic**

She was humming lightly as she pulled the thread through the fabric, sealing the final stitch on the section she was working on. Her eyes glanced over her project, her lips quirking into a smile as she realized how close to finished she actually was. Truthfully speaking, she should have been done weeks ago, but…well. She had said they were moving past Arc’s mistakes, and she meant it, so she wouldn’t dwell.

 

She was making a blanket. She had started it months before, when the weather had just started turning colder around Harvest time. She had had every intention to complete it before winter’s end, but as the months drug on and Arc made himself more distant…she had lost her motivation to complete it. It had sat in the corner of her room, untouched and mostly unnoticed, but now that they were all right again she was more determined than ever to finish. And from the looks of things, she just might by the end of the night.

 

When she’d first had the idea, she had been so excited. She had purchased two shades of fabric and had begun making palm-sized squares, which she had then begun quilting together to form a large, checkered-print blanket of red and white. In her mind, she had had the perfect vision of a warm spring day: lying out on the blanket with Arc, a picnic basket off to the side as they cloud-gazed or did some other silly activity couples did on warm spring days. She had wanted to have it completed by the first nice day in the season, intending to start a new tradition of sorts…a picnic on the first nice day of the season. Just them. And then they had been fighting, and that hadn’t happened…

 

Well. That was neither here nor there. The blanket would be completed in a few hours, and tomorrow looked to be a lovely day…they would just have to start the tradition late, is all. And she was sure Arc would love to escape the palace for a few hours…

 

Her eyes closed, and she put the blanket down in her lap. For the first time in weeks she felt completely at ease with her future again. Almost…eager. Excited. Optimistic. They were ok again, and things could only get better from here. She had missed that certainty, that surety, if she was being honest. And now…looking back to the blanket, she smiled. She was more than ready to move on from this mess now.

 

**Cranky**

If, by this time the next year, Yucie found herself back at home and estranged from the Crown Prince of Erlsel…well, she was going to blame Sir Humphrey. Or the gods. Or both.

 

Or she was just being overly dramatic, but she felt the occasion called for it.

 

After finishing the blanket the previous night, she had carefully packed it away in a basket she had found the previous week at the market. She had been so excited, and even though it was nearly midnight she had set her alarm a little earlier than usual so she would have time to make their lunch. She had already cleared her schedule with Sir Humphrey, much to his annoyance, but she had been adamant about this time with Arc. He had eventually conceded, and her day was free for as much time spent with the prince as she wanted.

 

She had woken up thirty minutes before her alarm to the splitting crack of a thunderstorm. She had scrambled from her bed and raced to the balcony windows, her eyes widening in horror as she watched the storm rage.

 

“No, no, no, no, no!” she had whined, pressing her palms to the cool glass. “It’s not supposed to rain today! Stop storming already!”

 

But the storm had raged on, and she had sunk to her knees in defeat. She had decided to stay up and wait the storm out, hoping it would end sooner rather than later. She fervently clung to the hope that they would still be able to enjoy a picnic on a nice day, but hours later and – while the violence of the storm had abated – a steady rain still fell on the land, effectively darkening her mood.

 

She stomped into the dining hall, slumping aggressively into her chair, and Arc and Erlsel shared a concerned look when she flopped her forehead onto the table. Arc, who was sitting beside her, reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“You know, I’m rather fond of that forehead, Forehead. I’d appreciate you not damaging it or its owner,” he said, hoping a joke would lighten her mood, but she just growled at him. His eyebrow shot up at the sound, lips quirking into a smirk.

 

“It’s my stupid forehead and I can slam it on the stupid table if I want!” she snapped, and when Erlsel said her name in that scolding tone she mumbled out a quick apology.

 

“What’s wrong, dear?” Erlsel asked, and Yucie sighed.

 

“It’s raining,” she said, and she frowned when she felt Arc’s hand tighten on her shoulder.

 

“Are you –” he started, but she looked up to give him the best smile she could manage, all things considered.

 

“I’m fine,” she said, placing her hand over his to allay any fears he might have. The storms hadn’t affected her for a long time now, but she knew how easily he worried about her. “I just…I had plans for today, and the stupid rain is ruining them.”

 

“Well, you still have the day off – we could always make the best of the day inside,” Arc said, but before she could reply Erlsel stepped in.

 

“Actually, I ran into Sir Humphrey this morning. He said, in light of the weather, that perhaps your day off could be rescheduled. He wants you to meet him in the study after breakfast,” she said, taking a bite from her toast as if she hadn’t just ruined Yucie’s day further. Arc glanced at Yucie just in time to see her head smack into the table again as venomous murmurings came from her lips.

 

She just couldn’t win here!

**Weird**

The first time he did anything more than kiss her was…weird. Not a bad weird, exactly, but…different. Odd.

 

She was sitting at the desk in her room, going over old copies of official documents Sir Humphrey had given her (he insisted it would be her job, as queen and helpmate to the king, to understand such documents and be able to assist where needed – she found them tedious and incredibly dull). The next thing she knew, her hair moved across her back and lips were touching her neck. She froze, her entire spine stiffening as she registered there was someone in her room – someone she hadn’t heard enter – and he was entirely too close and what was he thinking and –

 

And then she heard the chuckle, heard Arc whisper to relax as he commented on how tense she was, and she hesitantly acquiesced. Her eyes slid closed as his hands slid along her arms, coming to rest upon her own and folding their fingers together. He continued to kiss along her neck, until suddenly his lips were by her ear and his tongue was against her skin, licking slowly and suddenly she was tense again as that foreign feeling started to overtake her.

 

“A-Arc, stop,” she gasped, but getting the words out had been a struggle. He paused, his lips still hovering just above her skin, and she found she was shaking.

 

“Yucie?” he asked, concerned, but she only shook her head in reply. It was like a slow burn unfurling somewhere in her, connected to that spot by her ear and setting every nerve ending on edge. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was so…weird. Different. She wasn’t used to it, and while part of her was frozen in terror of that odd, uncontrolled feeling the other yearned for more. She didn’t even realize Arc was speaking again until he tipped her head back and placed a kiss on her forehead. (That was familiar. That was safe.) “Too fast?”

 

“I…” she hesitated, unsure of how to articulate the battling emotions within her. His hands slid back along her arms and down her sides, moving to wrap around her middle. His head came to rest on her shoulder, and she took a steadying breath as she tried to regain control. He pressed his lips to her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop.”

 

“Ok,” he said, putting his head back on her shoulder. After a moment, she became aware of his thumbs drawing lazy circles on her stomach through her tunic.

 

“Aaaaaarc,” she said, drawing his name out in a way that sounded somewhere between a whine and a moan. He chuckled, and she sighed as she leaned her head against his. “I’m sorry.”

 

He remained still, quiet, and she sighed again. That odd feeling was still there. She opened her eyes and moved her head, turning slightly to look at him. He cocked a brow at her, and she reached up to place a hand against his cheek. She leaned towards him, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, but even as he was turning his head to catch her she moved over and down – to the bit of neck not covered by his collar. He paused, allowing her to move her mouth along his skin. She moved again, carefully working her way back up along his jaw, and she unconsciously shifted as his thumbs continued to rub against her. That feeling was growing, increasing the longer he touched her. It was focusing, fogging her mind until she found her mouth just below his ear, and without thinking she nipped at his skin. She froze as he jerked, his hands sliding from her middle to grab at her hips.

 

“Arc?” she asked after a moment, the fear that she had done something wrong pulling her from her daze.

 

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he chuckled, and she pressed her face against his shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said. She felt there was more to say, but once again she couldn’t find the words. She was no good at this, and he –

 

“Don’t be,” he said. He turned her chair, and she looked up in surprise as he stepped between her legs. “So…not too fast?”

 

“I…don’t know,” she finally said. She had a feeling she was blushing, though with the way her entire body felt like it was burning she couldn’t be sure. The smug look on Arc’s face was a telling sign, though. She glanced back to her desk as she tried to find the words. “I just…it’s so…agh, I’m no good at this, Arc.”

 

“Oh, I’d say you’re pretty good,” he said, laughing as she pressed her face against his chest.

 

“I’ve never felt like this before,” she said, and immediately regretted it – it sounded so…corny. “I just…I…”

 

“Why don’t you stop thinking and just go with it?” he asked, and she leaned back to look up at him. He moved towards her, his mouth hovering just over hers. “Relax, Yucie. Trust me.”

 

He leaned into her as he kissed her, pushing her into the chair. Her back stretched, and she gasped as his body pressed against hers and that feeling sparked all over again. When she started to tense, he moved his lips to her neck and his hands to her hips. He pulled her to the edge of the chair and pressed against her, and her breath caught in her throat as he moved his lips to her ear.

 

“Relax,” he whispered, nipping at her lobe. She gasped his name before biting her lip, knowing her face was scarlet. She felt him smile against her skin, and she jumped as she felt him lick her again. He was chuckling again, and her eyes opened to stare dazedly at him. His hand was on her thigh, near her knee, and when he pressed that leg against him she realized she had wrapped it almost completely about his waist. Her eyes shot open, and he chuckled again. “See? I told you you were good at this.”

 

She blinked at him before she fell back in the chair, laughing. She completely missed the way her body shaking against his caused him to still and the groan that slipped from him.

 

Weird, but good. Definitely good.

 

**Bouncy**

The prince’s eyes shot open as the wind was knocked from him. He scrambled about, limbs twisting in the sheets of his bed and head whipping around as he tried to make heads or tails of what was happening. He registered shouting come from his door – the hall? – and a much more welcomed, familiar laughing as his bed bounced. He finally managed to push himself up and locked eyes on the princess currently using his bed as her personal trampoline, much to the maid at the door’s horror. Yucie stopped bouncing, her knees coming to rest by his side, and the grin she gave him seemed much too awake for…gods, how early was it? Or, more accurately (considering Yucie was so awake and chipper and a good deal of sunlight was streaming through the balcony doors), how _late_ was it?

 

“Morning!” she chirped, reaching out and grabbing his hand. He cocked an eyebrow at her, but she remained undeterred as she watched him expectantly.

 

“Good morning,” he said slowly, glancing down to give her a quick once-over. She was dressed in a yellow sundress that was cinched just under her bust by a white ribbon, and her hair fell like a midnight curtain down her back. With the childlike smile on her face, she seemed the picture of innocence – all but that glint in her eye, the one that let him know she was up to something. He leaned back, laying back down as he twined his fingers with her own and tugged her hand to his mouth, kissing the back. Well, as long as she was here (meritorious intentions or not), he might as well enjoy it. “Any reason for the rather rude awakening?”

 

“You were sleeping late and missing this beautiful day,” she said, nodding back towards the window. “And I just couldn’t let you laze about any more. I have plans for us, mister, and those plans do not involve staying in bed all day!”

 

His eyebrow soared at that comment, and her mouth dropped open as she realized what she had said. She tried to snatch her hand back, a reflex motion to cover her mouth, and he laughed as he twisted their hands and kissed her palm. Giving her his best bedroom eyes, he crooned, “Are you sure about that? It sounds…promising.”

 

“Arc, you pervert!” she scolded, jerking her hand back to lightly slap his chest. He caught it again before she could do more harm, a low chuckle escaping as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “You know that’s not what I meant!”

 

“A man can dream,” he said, smiling lazily as ghosts of dreams she had starred in drifted across his mind. She slapped him with her free hand, and he laughed again as he looked back at her. “All right, all right. Really, though, Forehead. What’s up with the wake-up call?”

 

“I tried to stop her, highness – gods know it’s not proper, the princess bein’ in your bedchamber and all that, but she wouldn’t listen! And Princess Yucie, get off his highness’s bed this instant! It’s not proper!” the maid said, finally crossing into the room to nervously wring her hands and dart her gaze about. Arc and Yucie shared a look, both acknowledging the same thought: this one’s new. Yucie waved her off and grinned back at Arc.

 

“It’s not really that late, but I wanted to get an early start. I’ve made you lunch,” she said, and if he didn’t know any better he’d swear she preened at the grin he gave her. They both knew how much he loved her cooking. “And it’s gorgeous out, and we’re going on a picnic. So you need to get your lazy bones out of this bed so we can leave!”

 

“Are you kidnapping me, Forehead?” he asked, and she snorted as she rolled her eyes.

 

“Gods know you kidnapped me enough times – sure, consider it payback,” she said. She grabbed his hand and scooted to the edge of the bed, hopping off and attempting to drag him with her. He was half out of the bed when the sheet that had been tangled around his waist slipped, and her eyes widened as they slipped lower than his chest.

 

“Yucie?” he asked, concerned at the suddenly terrified look that accompanied the fiery color her face turned. He followed her gaze, ignoring the “Oh, my!” the maid squeaked, and his eyes widened as he remembered that, thanks to the hot, humid night, he hadn’t exactly dressed before bed.

 

“I-I’m going to get Mudpie and Sunspray ready,” she said. “Y-you…fix that, and I’ll see you in a bit.”

 

He caught her wrist before she could make her final escape and tugged her towards him. He kissed her forehead, ignoring her shriek, and smiled as he stole a quick peck from her lips. When he pulled back, he winked at her and said, “No need to be embarrassed, Forehead. You’ll see it all soon enough.”

 

He pushed her towards the maid, who had shrieked again at his comment, and laughed as the maid pulled her spluttering from the room.

 

**Romantic**

_Truth told, I never felt so high_

_Truth told, through you the view was always sky…_

“Stay” – Matt Nathanson

 

“So this is why you were so agitated the other day?” Arc asked, biting into an apple as he waited for her answer. She hummed, and he glanced down when he felt her shift. She was arching her back, stretching lazily like a cat, and he slowly swallowed the apple as he watched the movement throw her curves into sharper relief. The yellow dress was riding dangerously high on her thighs, and he quickly took another bite of the apple before looking back to the blue sky. A few clouds were lingering on the horizon, a result of the previous day’s storms, but the weather was holding. It was the beautiful day the previous one had promised yet failed to deliver.

 

“I told you. I wanted to start a new tradition,” she said. She settled back against him, her head lying on his lap. “I wanted to do this on the first nice day of the season, but we were still fighting then. So…it’s a little late this year. But I finished the blanket, and it was important, and …what?”

 

She glanced up at him when she felt his hand brush against her hair – but no, not her hair. The blanket her hair was spread on. He smiled slightly as he fingered the fabric and asked, “You made this?”

 

“You sound surprised,” she said. “I’m useful for some stuff, you know. Farm girl and everything.”

 

“I’d say you’re useful for a lot more than just farm things,” he murmured, bending down to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. Her eyes closed, and she smiled. Looking back, it amazed her how much that simple gesture used to piss her off. She couldn’t imagine him not doing it now. She reached up before he could pull back and tangled her hand in his hair, pulling him down for a longer, proper kiss.

 

“You like the blanket, then?” she asked when she finally released him, and he smiled before pecking a kiss against her nose.

 

“I love it – and the idea behind it. I like getting out of the palace with you,” he said. “I like getting anywhere with you, but it’s nice knowing it’s just us out here. And you made that delicious lunch, and the weather is gorgeous, and we have this incredibly soft blanket to lay on…”

 

Each statement was punctuated with a kiss, and she giggled when his final kiss brushed against her temple. He reached for her hand, linking their fingers together as he asked, “Am I forgetting anything?”

 

“I missed this,” she said. She looked up at him, bringing their hands up to rest over her heart. “I missed you.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, but she shook her head.

 

“Stop apologizing already,” she said. “We both messed up in the end. I’m just glad it’s behind us.”

 

“That won’t stop me from spending every day for the rest of our lives trying to make it up to you,” he said. “Starting…with…”

 

“Arc!” she squealed, jumping up as his hand brushed against a particularly ticklish spot. His eyebrows soared, a devious smirk curling his lips. “Oh, no – don’t you even dare!”

 

His grin was almost wolfish as he dove for her, and she squealed as she jumped up and ran. He gave chase, and she led him in circles about the hilltop as she tried to escape him. He gave a final burst of speed and caught her about the waist, unceremoniously tackling her to the ground by their blanket. The wind flew from her upon impact, and she never had a chance to recover her breath before he was tickling her again. Peals of laughter filled the air from both royals, and she finally pushed against his arms, breathlessly begging him to stop.

 

When he did, he simply hovered over her, smiling as he watched her catch her breath. She blinked back tears, her smile radiant when she finally looked up at him, but her breath caught in her throat as she realized how close he was. She whispered his name, and it was all he needed to lean down and press his lips to her own in a slow, searching kiss. The memory of the previous night, the way he had pressed against her in the study, came back to her mind, and suddenly she was arching against him in an attempt to bring them closer. His mouth left hers to trail down her neck, and she gasped as he nipped and sucked at a place near the strap of her dress.

 

They were caught up in the moment, neither noticing the way the clouds suddenly pulled in and darkened the sky. The low roll of thunder was covered by a rather load moan on Yucie’s part, and just as Arc was slipping the strap of her dress off her shoulder a large crack split the sky and rain began to douse them. Yucie shrieked and jerked up, pushing Arc back as lightning forked the sky. They both froze, staring at each other for a moment as thunder rumbled above. Yucie looked horrified, but to Arc she just looked…adorable. He snorted, and suddenly he was doubled over laughing. Her lips slowly curled into a smirk as she glanced around at their ruined picnic, and then she was laughing as well.

 

“So much for our beautiful day,” she said, brushing her soaked curl out of her face. She began gathering the remains of their lunch, but he reached out and stopped her. “Arc, we need to get inside. It’s too danger-mmph!”

 

He was on her again, bending her back into the blanket as he ravished her mouth. Her attempts to stop him were half-hearted, and she laughed again as he once more began trailing kisses along her neck.

 

“You’re gonna get us killed out here,” she gasped, her voice shaky, and he nipped at her skin.

 

“I was under the impression girls thought kissing in the rain was romantic,” he said, his voice louder than necessary so she could hear him over the storm. He returned his attentions to her neck, and she gasped as he brushed against a sensitive spot.

 

“R-rain, yes,” she said. “Thunderstorm? Not so much.”

 

“Continue inside?” he asked, leaning up as thunder crackled above.

 

“There’s a cave a bit into the woods,” she said, glancing over to the trees. “Wait out the storm there?”

 

“I like the way you think,” he quipped, and she squealed as he hauled her over his shoulder and turned towards the trees.

 

“Arc, wait! The picnic! The horses!” she laughed, slapping his back. He rolled his eyes and set her down, and she grinned as she pulled him to her for a quick kiss. “You get the horses. I’ll clean up here.”

 

He grinned and slapped her rear as she stepped away from him, throwing a “Yes, ma’am” over his shoulder as he moved to get the horses.


	10. ...like the Past is the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nonexplicit child death.

**Cheerful**

“Oh my word! Ceilia, dear, is that you?”

 

Ceilia looked up from the wine she was sipping to see her old friend Ruby rushing over. She placed her glass on a passing tray and caught the woman in a hug, laughing with her as they exchanged greetings.

 

“Ruby! Oh, how I’ve missed you!” she said, and Ruby laughed as she kissed her cheeks.

 

“Dear Ceilia, you must not stay away so long next time – the court has been buzzing, and you’ve missed it all!” Ruby said. She caught Ceilia’s hands in her own and squeezed. Ceilia frowned at her, recalling the last social function she had been invited to.

 

“Yes, well…it appears I may have offended our dear prince the last time I was here, and as such I had not merited an invitation in…well. Then father sent me off on some diplomatic business, and I’ve only just returned. So tell me, Ruby, what exactly have I missed?” she asked. Ruby’s eyes were wide, and a glint had entered them at the prospect of some nice, juicy gossip.

 

“Offended Prince Aero? Ceilia, whatever did you do?” she gasped, and Ceilia rolled her eyes.

 

“It appears Prince Aero is rather fond of our wannabe princess,” she said. “I merely pointed out Yucie’s proper place, and he was not fond of my suggestion.”

 

“You didn’t,” Ruby said, the look on her face changing from eager to horrified. “Ceilia, no – _that’s_ what that was about? I know you and Yucie have never exactly gotten along, but please tell me you didn’t speak out of –”

 

“Ceilia Claymont?”

 

Ceilia felt the good mood she’d had ever since receiving her invitation quickly slipping away at the all too familiar voice. She turned and saw Yucie – a proper, adult-sized Yucie – walking up to her. The impertinent brat had the nerve to be clinging onto the prince’s arm like…they…

 

“Oh my gosh, it is you! It’s been forever!” Yucie ran over to hug her, and the last wisps of her good mood vanished as she saw the ruby ring – really, ruby?! – glinting over a very important finger. Yucie pulled back and smiled brightly at her. “I’m so glad you came! I’ve been meaning to talk to you for ages now, and…are you ok, Ceilia?”

 

“Yes, Ceilia, are you well? You look out of sorts,” Aero said, and she swallowed as she noticed the warning in his tone and the ice in his eyes. Clearly he remembered, which made her think the invitation was more Yucie’s idea. But why would she…?

 

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “I just…I returned from travelling earlier, and I’m still a bit tired. You said you wished to speak with me, Princess?”

 

“Oh come on – none of that ‘Princess’ stuff. We grew up together, Ceilia. You, Lena, and me – until…well, that’s neither here nor there. You know you can call me Yucie,” Yucie said, and Ceilia winced at the reminder of their shared past. Yes, they had been thick as thieves once, hadn’t they? Before the curse. Before she became too ‘mature’ to be bothered with a child. Before…

 

“Right. Of course, Yucie,” Ceilia said, and Yucie’s smile softened.

 

“I had hoped we could put all that behind us, Ceilia. Start over? I have missed you, y’know,” she said.

 

“You certainly acted it when you ruined my dress,” she snipped, and Yucie rolled her eyes.

 

“Come off it – you’re still upset about that? I apologized!” Yucie said, and Ceilia cocked a brow at her.

 

“You did not!” she said, and Yucie blinked as a light flush stained her cheeks.

 

“I…meant to apologize!” she said instead, and Ceilia stared at her a moment before she laughed. Damn it all if she couldn’t stay mad at the brat. “Come on, Ceilia. What do you say? Friends again?”

 

“You are impossible, Yucie,” she said, sighing as she shook her head. Yucie squealed and hugged her again, a bright smile splitting her face.

 

“Oi, Yucie! Over here!” they turned to see Gurenda, princess of the Demon World, waving her over. She looked back at Ceilia and smiled.

 

“Stay right here – I’ll only be a minute!” Yucie said before rushing off.

 

“You two were friends?” Aero asked as he watched her leave.

 

“Before it became too embarrassing to be seen with a ten-year-old, yes,” she said. Ruby giggled and took her arm in her own.

 

“Oh, please. You two raised so much hell when we were younger. I swore you were going to send proper little Lena to an early grave with all the trouble you got into,” she said. Ceilia glared at her, and she rolled her eyes before snagging a glass from a passing waiter. “And that’s my cue…Lord Devonshire! My, you’re looking handsome tonight!”

 

“I find that very hard to believe,” Aero said, looking at her, “considering how…rude you were last time you were here.”

 

“Yucie and I had a bit of a falling out, and I never quite got over it. Especially when it seemed the prince I had my eyes on was setting his own on her,” Ceilia said. “It appears my absence just facilitated that.”

 

“You absence or presence wouldn’t have made any difference either way, Ceilia. I love Yucie. We…have a bit of an interesting past. I think I’ve known I wanted to marry her since I was seven,” he said. She raised a brow at that, and he shrugged helplessly. “Long story. Another time.”

 

“I remember. She was so happy the day she came back from the forest. Said she’d met a guardian angel,” she said, laughing slightly. Aero’s eyes widened at that, and she waved him off. “So that’s that, then. You’re finally getting married.”

 

“I finally am,” he said. “And we’re all right?”

 

“Oh, please, Aero. I swear, all you men are the same. Think you’re the only one the gods gave creation. Well, I’ll have you know, mister, you most certainly are not, and my prospects do not end with you,” she said, snatching another glass as a server walked past. She handed it to him with a coy smile. “In fact, I just met a nice, young, exotic man on my travels. I always did enjoy the sun.”

 

He laughed and reached over, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “You,” he said, “are a piece of work.”

 

“And you are a royal ass,” she said, smirking, “but let’s not let our faults ruin the party. I do believe that’s our song playing – care for a dance?”

 

He smirked as he heard the band strike up a random number he had never before heard. He extended a hand and said, “Lady Ceilia, it would be my honor.”

 

**Gloomy**

She rolled the peach around in her hand, weighting it and feeling for soft spots. Satisfied, she added it to her basket and handed the lot over to the owner of the stall. As he weighed her purchase he made idle comments about how wonderful the harvest had been that year, and she made idle comments about her intentions for her basket of peaches – it was your normal, run of the mill market chatter. He handed her the peaches, wished her well, and after doing the same she turned and continued to make her way through the market. It was busy for a weekend morning, but the hustle and bustle was perfect. She loved that, despite the entire kingdom recognizing her as their Platina Princess and future queen, she could still head into the city like she was still just one of them. She had been afraid that would end after Erlsel had asked her to move to the palace, but it hadn’t. Really, she’d been pleasantly surprised by how…well, normal everything seemed to remain.

 

“Yucie!”

 

She turned, startled by the shout. Usually, people referred to her as ‘highness’ when she was out (something that had taken her quite some time to get used to), and the voice had been familiar but not necessarily recognizable. Her eyes widened as she spotted the older, portly strawberry blonde making her way towards her, and barely a moment later she had been swallowed up in an exuberant hug.

 

“I thought that was you!” the woman said as she pulled away. She pushed Yucie back to arm’s length and looked her over. “My, Yucie, you really did it! I heard that you found a way to break the curse, but I didn’t believe it – then again, they say you’re going to marry our prince, too, so can you really blame me?”

 

“Ms. Kayla, it’s so good to see you!” Yucie said, and the woman laughed as she pulled her back into a hug. “It’s been forever! How are you and Mr. Peter doing?”

 

“Oh, well as we can be. Getting old and such. But you! How are you, my darling girl?” Kayla ran a hand along Yucie’s hair, a look of maternal adoration crossing her face. “Obviously well, but I want to hear it from you.”

 

“I’m really good, actually. I finally broke the curse, and actually…well, I am marrying the prince,” she said, and Kayla’s eyes widened.

 

“No! You mean the rumors are true?” she gasped, and Yucie giggled and nodded.

 

“Yep! Arc just proposed a few weeks ago, at the ball Queen Erlsel threw for our graduation from the Princess Academy,” she said, and Kayla whistled as Yucie showed her her engagement ring.

 

“Look at you, Yucie. I was impressed enough when I heard you snagged the title of Platina Princess, but marrying a prince to boot? You’re really doing well, aren’t you?” she asked. Her smile turned a twinge wistful, and Yucie frowned.

 

“Ms. Kayla…” she started, but the woman held up a hand and shook her head.

 

“No, no, don’t you get that sorry look on your face, now,” she said. She grasped her hands and smiled. “I’m so happy for you, Yucie. When I think back on that little baby I knew…I’m so happy for you, darling girl.”

 

“Ms. Kayla, I didn’t mean…I just…it’s been so long since…” Yucie suddenly found herself floundering, as if the good mood of just moments before had been sucked away to be replaced with regret and pain. Kayla waved her hands and pulled her into a hug.

 

“I said stop, Yucie. He wouldn’t want us getting all teary-eyed like this. You’ve done well for yourself. He’d be happy for that,” she said. Yucie nodded, allowing the woman she had once considered a mother figure to hold her tight. They heard a whistle and shout from behind them, and they turned to find Kayla’s husband standing by a shop across the street. Yucie put on her best smile and waved, and after a moment of surprise the man raised a hand to wave back. Kayla kissed Yucie’s cheek and nodded towards her husband.

 

“I best get going. Busy day, you know. Promise me you’ll come by the farm soon? I’ve missed you so, Yucie. I know I closed myself up after…and then you stopped coming ‘round when you realized the curse, but…it’s been long enough, hasn’t it?” she asked, and Yucie nodded.

 

“Of course. Can I stop by in a few days?” she asked, and Kayla nodded.

 

“We’ll make a lunch of it,” she said. “And bring your fella – I want to meet the prince who’s snagged my darling girl’s heart.”

 

“I will,” Yucie said, laughing as she hugged the woman once more. “I’ll see you then, Ms. Kayla.”

 

“See you then,” the woman said, and with a final hug she was gone.

 

– V –

 

While she had been glad to see her old friend, the unexpected encounter had brought with it a melancholy she hadn’t been able to shake the rest of the morning. She had gone to her private corner of the kitchen and begun slicing the peaches, but the usual staff had steered clear of her. It was as if her mood had become a visible cloud, and they had all decided it best to stay away. The knife slid through the flesh of another peach, and she paused as it hit the cutting board. She could see the peach in her hand, see the other holding the knife, but in her mind she was a million miles – a million years – away.

 

Kayla had looked good. The last time she had seen her…she had been too thin, swathed in black robes that accentuated the bags under her bloodshot eyes. Papa had said it was because she was crying, and she remembered from that time all Kayla seemed to do was cry. She had tried to see her shortly after, but Peter had turned her away, being as kind as he could in refusing a ten-year-old access to the woman she considered a mother. _Kayla just couldn’t see her right now,_ he had said. _She still wasn’t feeling well. Please understand: seeing you is too painful after…_

 

She jumped nearly a foot out of her skin when a hand landed heavily on her shoulder. The knife clattered from her hand, tilting the peach it was still submerged in. Her head shot to the side to find Arc leaning over the table, grinning at the peaches in the bowl.

 

“Those look amazing,” he said. “Asborough said we had a good harvest this year. Can’t wait to have the pie.”

 

He looked up at her, the mischievous twinkle in his eye vanishing as quickly as the grin slipped from his face when he saw the dazed expression on hers. He stood straight and squeezed her shoulder, hoping to draw some response from her.

 

“Yucie? What’s wrong?” he asked, and she shook her head as she looked back at the peaches. She had been making a pie, hadn’t she? She took the slices she had finished cutting and put them in the bowl with the others.

 

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just…I’m fine.”

 

“That’s what you tell me when you’re not fine but want me to drop it,” he said, leaning back against the table and crossing his arms. “Now out with it. You were all smiles and energy at breakfast, so what happened?”

 

“I ran into an old friend at the market,” she said, and he cocked his head to the side. She put the knife down and pulled her hand back to grip the edge of the counter. “That’s all. I’m having lunch with her in a few days. She said you could come, too. She wants to meet…”

 

And just the thought of Kayla meeting Arc was enough to break down any wall she had erected, and before she even realized she was crying – openly sobbing – she felt Arc’s arms around her and heard his comforting words in her ear. He held her tight as she cried, until the tears dissolved into hiccoughing sniffles and then some.

 

“Peter and Kayla own the farm next to Papa’s,” she said. “They had a son shortly before Papa found me, and Jayson and I were best friends growing up. Everyone swore we were going to get married, take over both farms, and…you know, what farm kids do.”

 

Arc remained silent, knowing it would be better if she just talked it out. She took a steadying breath and said, “My tenth summer, before we had realized I had stopped growing…there were really bad storms that year, remember? Flooding all over the country. We got it really bad because we’re so close to Lord Drago’s lake, and Jay and I used to play in the river there all the time. We thought it was safe, but he slipped and…the current was too strong because of all the rain, and I couldn’t get to him in time, and…”

 

“He died,” Arc said, and the sob that made her choke was answer enough. She nodded and burrowed closer to his chest.

 

“I’ve seen Kayla maybe a handful of times since…she was a wreck, and she said she never blamed me but…I should’ve helped him, Arc, but I was too little and…I was always too little…” she whispered. He shook his head, pulling her closer.

 

“You were a child, Yucie. Not just ‘looked like a’ child but an actual child. I do remember that summer, and there was nothing you could have done. Many died that year because of those storms,” he said. It did nothing to calm her, though, and he nudged her shoulder. “Come on. You need a break. Let someone else finish this, all right?”

 

“But…” she started, and he shook his head.

 

“No buts,” he said. “I’m taking you for a break, and you’re going to tell me all about this mystery boy who almost took my place.”

 

“Arc…” she started, giving a watery laugh at the absurdity of the idea that her fiancé could feel threatened by a childhood friend. He tugged her hand and lead her out of the kitchen, guiding her towards the gardens.

 

Hours later, after many stories and tears, curled under a tree near a fish pond, he asked her, “How are you, Forehead?”

 

It took her a long moment to answer as she paused, making a personal inventory and honestly considering his question. Finally, she murmured, “I’m fine,” and that time he believed her.

**Angry**

She sneezed again and sank lower into the warm water, her teeth still chattering despite her near-immersion in the bath. Steam rose from the surface, giving away the true temperature of the water, but after nearly two hours waiting in the cold she still felt chilled to the bone. She closed her eyes and slunk lower, until she felt the water tickling her nose with every breath.

 

It was freezing out, the first snow of the season likely days away, and she had spent the previous two hours outside waiting for Arc, and his Royal Jerkness hadn’t deigned to show up. She squeezed her eyes tighter, thinking how maybe she was being unfair and she did arrive early, after all, but that still didn’t excuse his not showing for nearly an hour and a half after their agreed time. She had told him two, hadn’t she? She had said the west gate near the Princess Academy, hadn’t she? She sneezed again, and when the water splashed up her nose she found she honestly didn’t care. They had agreed to meet, she had told him when and where – confirmed twice – and he had stood her up.

 

He had freakin’ stood her up!

 

It was another hour and cooling water that prompted her to leave the tub, though her mind wasn’t any less stormy as she toweled off. She threw on her warmest night dress and robe, shoved her feet into some slippers, and stomped into her room. She paused at the doorway of the ensuite, her face falling as she took in her empty room. She had been half-expecting him to be there when she emerged from the bath, lounging on her bed and acting like he’d done nothing wrong. He was good with timing like that, the jerk.

 

She huffed again and ripped her hand from the door before she slammed it. She plopped down in a cushy chair before the fire, glaring into the low flames as her mood festered.

 

It was just bad manners! It would have been a different story entirely if it had been during warmer weather – well, ok, it still would have been bad, but maybe not quite as bad if she hadn’t been freezing her ass off for two hours. And now she couldn’t stop sneezing, and her whole body was shaking, and she still couldn’t entirely feel her extremities, and –

 

The door crashed open, Frederik calling her name as he doubled over, panting. She jerked up in her chair, the color draining from her face as she saw the distress in his.

 

“Frederik?” she asked, and the queen’s captain of the guard gave her a desperate look. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

 

“Prince Aero,” he said, and suddenly her anger curled into a lead weight that plopped into her stomach. Arc…?

 

**Guilty**

Her hands fisted on her lap as she stared at the way her nails cut into her skin. She sucked in a breath when a drop of water – a tear? – fell against her knuckles, and she hastily wiped at her eyes.

 

She hadn’t even bothered dressing. In a flash she was up and out the door, following Frederik as he led her through the castle and to the infirmary. She had refused to acknowledge their destination as they ran. Usually, the healer just came to their rooms; she had known it had to be bad if he wasn’t even letting Arc leave the medic’s.

 

Frederik had explained once they were there, but that had been after he had had to hold her back from rushing to Arc’s side (‘Why did they always do that?’ she couldn’t help but wonder). A farmer had found him on the side of the road, after he had apparently been thrown from his horse. Mudpie had been waiting in a pasture nearby; the farmer hadn’t known how long the prince had been there. He had helped him back to the palace, where the doctor had set about finding out what was wrong. He was sure the prince would be fine – just a bad bump on the head – but he hadn’t woken up yet. She glanced up at him, her heart leaping into her throat as she bit her lip and surveyed his sleeping face. Shouldn’t he have woken up by now?

 

She wanted to vomit. Not ten minutes ago she had been planning bloody murder against him for making her wait out in the cold, and here he had been unconscious on the side of the road – in the cold – for gods knew how long. She had thought he had stood her up. She had thought…

 

“I’m so sorry, Arc,” she whispered, grabbing at his hand and holding it tight. His skin felt like ice. She rubbed her palms over it, hoping to warm him. “I thought…c’mon, now. You have to wake up, you big dummy. You have…”

 

Her breath hitched in her throat, and the next thing she knew she had crawled into the bed and curled up against his side. He was practically frozen. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she pressed her face against his side.

 

“Please, Arc, be ok…please be ok…”

 

**Relieved**

She must have fallen asleep there, nestled against Arc’s freezing side. She awoke some time later, slowly, when she became aware of her hair moving. Strands were being tugged, but not in an unpleasant way. She pressed her eyes shut tighter and squirmed, and it was then she noticed that she was wrapped quite nicely around someone really comfy – and that was when she remembered what had happened. She barely registered how Arc was much warmer or how she had an arm and leg thrown over him as she pushed herself up. The tugging on her hair stopped as she turned, frantic, and her eyes widened as she took in Arc’s amused face. Her mouth worked soundlessly as she fought for words – words that, apparently, came too easily to him.

 

“You know, Forehead,” he started, “if someone was to come in and find us like this…well, I think we’d get in a lot of trouble.”

 

“Arc!” she cried, finally finding her voice, but instead of the blush and slap he was expecting she threw herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his laugh turned into a yelp when her head knocked against his. She gasped and backed up, her face horror-stricken. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

 

“It’s ok, Yucie – it’s just a bump,” he said, giving her a pained smile as he rubbed his head. He blinked when he noticed the tears welling in her eyes, and he frowned as he reached out to cup her cheek in his palm. “Hey now. I’m fine. What’s with the tears?”

 

“You big dummy,” she said, and he blinked as she laid back down. She placed her head on his chest and hugged him tight. He wasn’t about to complain, but he certainly was confused as all else. “I thought…I’m so sorry. I was so mad at you, and there you were…what happened?”

 

“Mudpie got spooked – something in the woods. I lost control. I have no idea how I got back here, though, or how long I was out,” he said, and Yucie frowned as she hugged him tighter.

 

“A farmer found you on the side of the road,” she said. “You had a really bad gash on your head. The healer thinks you must’ve been thrown into something. You…we don’t know how long you were there. The healer said you’ll be fine, but…you weren’t waking up.”

 

“Hypothermia will do that to you,” he quipped, and she nudged her head against his chest.

 

“Shut up – that’s not funny,” she said. She buried her face against the fabric of his shirt, and when she next spoke her voice was muffled. “I was so scared. I…that’s twice now, Arc. Stop doing that.”

 

“Twice?” he asked, and she nodded.

 

“First Diabolos, and now…stop making me think you’re going to…” she couldn’t finish, and he smiled softly as he placed a hand on her head.

 

“I keep telling you I can take care of myself,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about me, Yucie. I’m not going anywhere. I’m certainly not leaving you anytime soon.”

 

“You were so cold,” she whispered, and he chuckled as he settled back in the uncomfortable bed. He’d much rather be in his own room, to be honest – it was probably warmer there, too.

 

“I’m not now,” he said. “And that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To warm me up?”

 

She glanced up at him, and he winked at her. She smiled despite herself, and he grinned back. She sighed and snuggled closer.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, her eyes starting to droop again. “You big dummy.”


	11. ...like it's Called 'Character-Building'

**Uncomfortable**

Duke Edmund Cunningham let out a low whistle as he entered the grand ballroom of the palace of Erlsel, his eyes widening as they lit on a towering pine rising above the center of the room. It was decked to the nines with lights, ribbons, glittering ornaments, and there – near the back, standing on a ladder and reaching into the depths of the tree – was even a future queen tucked into its boughs.

 

“My dear Yucie, is that you in there?” he called, approaching the tree, and a startled squeak was his answer. Yucie pulled away from the tree, and he laughed as he saw the way her hair was a birds nest of disarray and needles. The beaming grin slipped from her face to settle into an adorable pout. Times like this he could almost regret she was marrying the prince and not him.

 

“What? Why are you laughing, Edmund?” she asked, but he only smiled. He stopped at the base of the ladder and looked up into the tree.

 

“Why on Earth are you decorating the tree, my princess? Don’t you have someone to do this for you, or is Erlsel’s treasury truly that depleted?” he quipped. She kicked at his shoulder, and he laughed. She gestured to a woman entering the room who wore the uniform of a palace maid and carried a large box.

 

“I’ve had help all morning, but what’s the fun of Solstice if you don’t decorate the tree yourself? This is my fifth tree this morning,” she said proudly, and he laughed and clapped.

 

“Impressive, my princess! You must feel quite accomplished!” he said, and she blushed as she turned back to the tree.

 

“Shut up – you’re as bad as Arc,” she said, and he hummed as he looked around.

 

“Speaking of, where is my better?” he asked, and though Yucie rolled her eyes her smile was fond.

 

“His mother dragged him into some ball planning. She’s going all out for this Solstice Festival ball,” she said. She paused as she pulled her hand back from the tree, her ring catching on a light and glittering. Her smile softened as she observed the ring, her face turning almost as red as the stone winking up at her. “He said he’d stop by later to see the trees. Why? Are you looking for him?”

 

“What? Prince Aero? Banish the thought!” Edmund scoffed. He reached up, offering a hand to help her down from the ladder. He lifted her hand to brush a kiss over the backs of her fingers, and Yucie frowned at him. “I shall always come for you and you alone. Bother the Prince.”

 

“The Prince is my fiancée, Edmund,” she said, pulling her hand back. She placed her palm against his cheek, and he smiled softly at her. “You know this. I would have hoped you’d have accepted it, so we could remain friends. I can’t offer you more than that.”

 

“My, what a fine queen you shall make,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “I shall content myself to being your friend, Princess, but know that, should things not go as you hope…”

 

“Edmund, I love Arc,” she said, her frown deepening. “Arc. And that’s not going to change. He really pisses me off sometimes, but I still love him. You’re just a friend.”

 

“As are you, Princess,” he said, kissing her hand again. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or just being polite, but she earnestly wished for the former. She truly wanted to remain friends with the man, and she hoped he wouldn’t make things unpleasant between them. “Now, show me these other trees you’ve worked so diligently on!”

 

**Apathetic**

It had been a rather boring day thus far, and the boredom was proceeding with paperwork his mother insisted he had to review. He’d much rather be somewhere outside the palace – preferably somewhere with Yucie – but duties were duties, and as his mother was planning on shifting the power to him shortly after the wedding she was insistent that he learn what she was calling more ‘kingly’ duties.

 

Bother that. It was boring.

 

He kicked his feet up on his desk and sighed as he pulled another parchment over. He was half-way through the letter – from an aunt, congratulating him on the engagement and announcing she would be happy to attend the wedding in the summer – when a knock sounded on the study door. He didn’t glance up from the letter as he granted entrance, so he was slightly surprised at the voice that greeted him.

 

“My, it’s stuffy in here,” Duke Edmund Cunningham commented. Arc looked up to see the sandy-haired man looking about the study in mild curiosity. When he looked back to the prince, his blue eyes were sparkling with their usual joviality. “And this is where they’ve banished you to on such a fine winter’s day? I would think you’d be with your future queen, gallivanting about the gardens or some such. I hear the winter blossoms are lovely this year.”

 

The mention of Yucie from this, a man Arc unreasonably considered a rival, only seemed to hackle him. The duke had – reasonably, Arc thought – avoided him since the night of the graduation ball, though he knew Yucie had seen him during the Solstice and most likely since. She still considered the man a friend. Arc, on the other hand, trusted him about as far as he could see him.

 

“What do you want, Cunningham?” he asked, caring not a lick that his voice sounded much too hostile for the occasion. The duke seemed surprised, but – as was his nature – he amiably brushed it aside and took a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk. Arc’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t recall saying you could sit.”

 

“Formalities,” Cunningham said, waving him off. Arc’s gaze hardened.

 

“I am still your prince and future king. The formalities are expected,” he said harshly, and Cunningham sighed.

 

“Really, highness? I was hoping, given the nature of my relationship with your intended, we could clear this little…hostility up,” he said. He smiled warmly at the prince. “I do so hate being unpleasant with people, especially when said person is my future king.”

 

“Funny then that you’d mention your relationship with the princess,” Arc commented, “given that’s exactly why I don’t like you.”

 

“What? Worried she’ll realize she’s made a monumental error in choosing you and run off with me?” Cunningham joked. Arc mulled over the political backlash from decking the noble. “While I sincerely question her sanity in the choice, I think it’s obvious she’s not going to come to her senses.”

 

The consequences were seeming more and more worth it the longer the duke spoke.

 

“This doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you should be saying to someone you’re hoping to get on good terms with,” the prince commented instead, and Cunningham sighed.

 

“True at that,” he said. He looked slightly defeated when he looked up again. “Prince Aero, you must know I have no interest in your bride beyond friendship. Even when she seemed convinced you wanted nothing to do with her, everyone else knew otherwise. Even then, I was nowhere near fool enough to think that she’d ever be able to love another. If I may be so bold, highness…you’re it for her.”

 

Arc remained silent, studying him intently. He seemed sincere enough, but…

 

“I wish to remain her friend, highness. I know I can expect nothing more, and if I am being honest I do not believe I’d want more. She comes alive when she’s with you. I would hate to deprive her of that,” he continued. He held out a hand. “So…a truce? I will remain in her life only if you grant me the permission. And honestly, I would rather things be well between us as well. It would be so inconvenient to have a good friend’s husband hating me.”

 

Arc glanced at his hand, seeming unsure for a long moment, before he finally took it in his own and gave a firm shake. Cunningham…Edmund seemed happy enough until Arc spoke.

 

“Fine,” he said, voice flat, “you can remain…friends with Yucie, but only because I know how much her friends mean to her. Denying her this would be just as unfair. Anything beyond that, though…we’ll see. I still don’t really like you.”

 

“Fair enough, highness,” he said. Arc took his hand back and waved him off.

 

“Now get out of here and let me finish my work,” he said. “I’d prefer to not be trapped in here longer than I have to be.”

 

**Productive**

Arc wouldn’t say that he wasn’t fit. In fact, he felt he was quite active, especially compared to some royals he knew. He even had a leg up on them as he had spent time on the run from the palace, and as a result he had had to pick up some survival skills. He could even say he knew how to properly wash dishes, as one particularly bad spell had found him as a dish boy at a tavern to pay for a room. He was an excellent horseman, a master at climbing trees, capable of outrunning the palace guard…so why couldn’t he manage to plant a damned garden?!

 

He threw the broken shovel to the ground with a growl, and he plopped onto his rear in a pout. He didn’t get it – planting a garden should not be this freakin’ complicated! What was so difficult about it? You dug a hole, you put the damn plant in, filled in the dirt, and made it look pretty. Not that complex. He should be able to do it in his sleep. He should –

 

Dan’s laughing set his teeth on edge. He wanted to deck the man when he called out, “Cripes, kid! You’re worse than Yucie was when she first came to my farm! Royal life has made you soft!”

 

The taunt was punctuated by the gardener’s heel pushing a shovel into the ground. Before Arc could come up with a snappy comeback, Dan continued: “You know, we could always bring Yucie down here to help. Kid knows what she’s doing, and I’d be glad for the help.”

 

“No!” Arc snapped, turning on the man. At Dan’s raised eyebrow, he took a deep, steadying breath and said, “Yucie can’t help. It’s her gift – the surprise will be ruined if she helps. I have to do this.”

 

“Then you best get a move on, highness,” Dan said, handing him a new shovel, “if you want it completed in time. And stop breakin’ my damn shovels.”

 

Arc scowled at him as he snatched the shovel. Looking out over the room, he had to admit Dan was right. The wedding was at the end of the summer, and if he wanted the garden finished by then…he took a deep, steadying breath and put the shovel to the ground. It’d be ready, he thought with determination as he pushed his foot against the shovel, hit another rock, and snapped another pole.

 

“DAMN IT!”

 

– V –

 

“In all my years, highness, I have never seen anyone as agriculturally challenged as you,” Dan said as he handed the prince a wooden cup full of water. Arc lifted a brow at him, and the man chuckled as he knocked back his own water. “That being said…you’ve done good.”

 

The prince looked back at the garden and couldn’t help but smile. The man was right. The first week had been rough, especially with the grueling schedule the farmer liked to keep, but…he had eventually gotten the hang of it. And now, months later, the room was…well. Yucie was going to love it. His smile grew as he drank his water.

 

“I was just hoping the flowers would have bloomed by now,” he said, and Dan nodded.

 

“Yucie was the same way, but like I told her: it takes time and work. You’ve put in the work, now just let time take its course. They’ll bloom soon enough, and she’ll love it,” he said. He chuckled and tipped his glass to the prince. “And she’ll do a damn better job than you at keeping it up, I guarantee. Kid knows her stuff.”

 

“She’s helped out at your farm how many times? And she was raised on one, too. Of course she knows this better than I do,” Arc groused.

 

“Still, you did good. The garden looks great,” Dan said. He looked over the room and nodded approvingly. “Yep, looks damn good. The blooms will be ready soon. Maybe another couple of weeks – dunno if they’ll make the wedding. But if it’s a little late she won’t mind. It’s come a long way, kid. You should be proud.”

 

“Well, if I admit I am it just sounds haughty,” Arc said with a grin, and Dan laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. The force of the blow from the bigger man jostled him, and he laughed depreciatively as he rubbed his arm. Still, the man was right. The garden had come a long way. He had come a long way – and , if he wanted to stretch the metaphor, he could even say they, he and Yucie, had come a long way. He squished the metaphor before it reached that point, however, not wanting to sound too sappy.

 

“What are you thinking for the pond?” Dan asked, nodding to the clearing. The pond had been the bane of his existence for the time it took him to dig it out, but he had been adamant. The clearing had seemed empty without it.

 

“Ducks,” he said, nodding. “She likes ducks, and there’s a farmer near her home expecting some ducklings soon.”

 

“A duck pond,” Dan said, smirking. “Sounds about right. Still can’t believe you actually managed to pull this together. You did good, kid.”

 

“I feel like I should be insulted at that,” Arc said, and Dan laughed as he clapped his shoulder again. Arc, who had been in the middle of sipping his drink, choked and spat the water out as Dan turned to gather his tools.

 

“You got promise, highness. Yucie could’ve done a hell of a lot worse than you, at least,” the older man said. When Arc turned to protest, Dan leveled him with an intimidating stare. “That being said, I like the kid. She’s important to a lot of people. Do her wrong and there’s not a title royal enough to protect you from the hell you’ll incur. Got me?”

 

“I understand,” Arc said, smiling despite the warning. “Doing Yucie wrong is the last thing I want.”

 

“Damn straight it is,” Dan said, turning to go. “Remember what I told you about watering ‘em, and they should be blooming in a week or so. Now go get a shower before she gets back. You stink.”

 

**Enthralled**

He didn’t know how he had let it get this far. One minute they were teasing each other, openly laughing and joking as they reclined by the pond, and the next he was ravaging her mouth as he pushed her into the grass. She wasn’t helping matters any, what with how she was eagerly pushing back and meeting him kiss for kiss. And then she just had to raise her leg and cage him in, shifting her hips just right to push up against his…oh, gods, his trousers were too tight…

 

“Yucie, stop,” he gasped as he tore his mouth from hers. His breathing was erratic, but then again so was hers. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and he stilled as he felt her fingers trace patterns along his jaw.

 

“Arc,” she whispered, but he wouldn’t look at her. She pressed her hand more firmly against his jaw. “Aero. Look at me.”

 

When he did, he found himself captivated by the look in her eyes. He swallowed thickly as he felt her thumb brush against his cheek, her skin against his feeling damn near electric. His eyes closed and he breathed deep. The scent of the garden mixed with something distinctly _her_ enveloped him, and it was too much.

 

“Yucie…I think I need to go,” he said. He opened his eyes to find she looked absolutely crestfallen.

 

“What…? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, and when her teeth caught her lower lip to nibble it he groaned.

 

“You’re doing everything right, and that’s the problem,” he said. And when she continued to look confused, he added, “If I don’t leave right now, Forehead, I’m going to do something we’ll both regret.”

 

Realization dawned on her, and she hesitated only a moment before she leaned up and licked at his ear. He shivered when her warm breath followed the gesture, her voice whispering, “…I want you to.” She nipped at his earlobe before moving to his mouth, and it took all he had to push her back into the grass before pulling away.

 

“Yucie, no,” he said. “It’s…it’s not ok. Not yet. Not until I get that ring on your finger.”

 

“It will be there next week, and I don’t have any intention to back out. Do you?” she asked. His stare hardened, but her smile was still inviting. “Arc, I…I want this. I want you. More than that, next week…I want to be able to enjoy you. And I’m told it’s…well, the first time isn’t supposed to be pleasant. I don’t want that to taint our wedding night. When you make love to me the first time as my husband, I want it to be perfect.”

 

His jaw tightened as he continued to watch her, and for a moment he was lost in wonder at the woman beneath him. He had had every intention to do the honorable thing, the noble thing, and wait, and yet…if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to. He hadn’t wanted to for a while. And here she was, offering herself to him like…he pressed his face against her neck, breathed deep, and nodded.

 

“But not here,” he finally whispered, nipping at her neck. She squeaked, and he smirked at how easily she reacted to his touch. He’d have to store the knowledge of that particular spot away for later. “If we’re going to do this, I’ll be damned if the first time I take you is on the grass in a garden.”

 

“Afraid Frederik will walk in?” she giggled, and he groaned at the idea. That was the last notion he wanted to entertain…

 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up, pressing her body close to his. She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “Then take me to your room, Aero, and love me like I know you want to.”

 

She didn’t have to tell him twice.

**Anxious**

Her hands nervously fiddled with her gloves before smoothing down her skirt. She looked up, worrying her lip as she considered her reflection. She jumped when she felt a swat on her shoulder, and she glanced at Gurenda’s reflection in the mirror in time to see the annoyed look her friend was giving her.

 

“Stop that,” Gurenda said, pointing at her lips. “The prince is going to do that enough for you later.”

 

She gasped, her face flushing a furious red as Beth laughed raucously at Gurenda’s quip. Gurenda grinned at her before she went back to fastening the stays on her dress. Erumina and Kokoru shared a look the others missed, equal parts sympathy for their friend and annoyance at the others.

 

“It’s just…it’s actually happening,” Yucie said, looking back at her reflection and taking in the white dress. It felt too poofy, with a tight-fitting bodice but voluminous skirts and sleeves to match, but Erlsel had picked it out and she had been too afraid to refuse. She knew Arc was going to laugh when he saw her, probably in front of the entire kingdom (all congregated at the capital cathedral a short carriage ride from the palace, waiting for the coming nuptials of their soon-to-be king). Her mind froze as she thought of that crowd before quickly redoubling and considering the dress, how crazy Arc was for choosing _her_ , the months of lessons she was bound to forget because she just wasn’t made for this life, the people – the entire kingdom! – counting on her to _not mess this up_ , and the next thing she knew her breath was coming in short, quick gasps and she was reaching up to pull on the necklace that felt too close to her throat for comfort. Gurenda paused behind her as she noticed the shift in her friend.

 

“Yucie?” she asked, any teasing gone from her voice.

 

“I can’t breathe,” Yucie gasped, and suddenly she was yanking the necklace from her throat and tugging at the stays Gurenda had spent so long on. “I can’t…get it off! Get it off!”

 

“Yucie!” Gurenda cried, grabbing her friend’s shoulders and whirling her to face her. Her eyes were wide, her face pale and panicked. Gurenda gave her a hard shake for good measure, and Yucie swallowed thickly. “Calm. Down.”

 

“But…” Yucie started, and suddenly the rest of their friends were around them. However, her eyes stayed focused on Gurenda, a source of calm in an otherwise chaotic storm.

 

“No,” the demon princess said. “You are going to be fine. You’re just having a panic attack – perfectly normal for any bride. You will be fine.”

 

“I can’t do this,” she whispered, and Gurenda glared at her.

 

“Shut up – you know that’s a lie,” Gurenda quipped.

 

“You love him, Miss Yucie,” Kokoru pointed out. “You’ve been waiting for this for so long. You can do this.”

 

“No, I can’t!” Yucie cried, sounding strangled. “And he shouldn’t want to, either! I’m…what’s he thinking, anyway? I’m no good for him. I’m no good for the kingdom. I…oh, gods, I can’t do this!”

 

She crumpled to her knees, curling into a tiny ball and covering her head with her arms. Gurenda pulled her back up and slapped her. She blinked.

 

“Grow up, brat!” she snapped. “You’re perfect for him and the kingdom. Even if you weren’t, he loves you – I believe I told you before not too many guys would put up with you, so why are you so quick to dismiss the one who will?”

 

“I believe this is called ‘cold feet’,” Erumina pointed out. “You will feel better when you actually see the prince.”

 

“But…” Yucie paused. She looked around at her friends, and at their supportive smiles felt her confidence bolster. They were right: she was being ridiculous. She took a deep, steadying breath, and smiled at Gurenda. “I’m sorry – I messed up the dress after you worked so hard to help me into it. Do you mind…?”

 

“Of course I mind,” Gurenda huffed, helping her stand and turning her back around, “but I’m also your maid of honor, and what kind of maid of honor would I be if I didn’t help you back off the ledge?”

 

“We don’t have to let Arc know about this, right?” she asked, and Gurenda smirked.

 

“Yucie,” she said, leaning closer to whisper conspiratorially in her ear, “I bet you he’s having a panic attack of his own, even as we speak.”


	12. ...like He Put a Ring on It

**Content**

“For a man about to lose his life in matrimonial bondage, you’re amazingly calm.”

 

He glanced at the doorway in the mirror and grinned when he saw Edmund leaning against the jam. The Duke was dressed in his formal best, looking rather dashing.

 

“I believe you’re supposed to be at the palace, trying to convince my intended she’s making a mistake marrying me and not you?” he quipped, and Edmund laughed before striding over and embracing him. He slapped Arc on the back before pushing him back by his shoulders.

 

“I think I dodged a bullet,” he said. “If the girl had any sense I would obviously be the one in the regalia this fine morning!”

 

The prince rolled his eyes before shrugging the duke off and turning back to the mirror. As he adjusted his cuffs and gave himself a final look over, he wondered at the feeling washing over him. He had expected to be nervous, but now that the day was actually here – the big event mere hours away – he found he was…content. He was excited, to be sure, but there was an overarching sense of calm that permeated all else. He was ready for this.

 

“My friend, you have that smile again,” he heard Edmund say, and he glanced at him to see a knowing look was on his face. “The one that lets everyone wiser know you’re thinking about Yucie.”

 

“I’m about to marry her,” he said, smiling a little wider as he actually said it, “I would hope I’d be thinking of her.”

 

“Truly, you are a lucky one,” Edmund said, walking up behind him. “If only you really had been trying to break things off. I think I would have liked getting to know her better.”

 

“Cunningham…” he said in a warning tone, and Edmund raised his hands in defeat, laughing jovially. They had formed an interesting sort of friendship over the months since Yucie’s graduation. At times Arc was still suspicious of the duke, convinced he was trying to snatch Yucie away, but most others he was willing to call Edmund his closest friend. He was like an older brother to Yucie – an older brother that would jokingly flirt with her, but an older brother all the same.

 

“Well, with any luck I’ll manage to meet a fine woman at the reception ball,” Edmund finally said, and Arc rolled his eyes heavenward. The man was a scourge to the women of the nobility, a veritable Casanova of Erlsel. His expression turned serious as he once more faced his friend. “Aero, speak plainly with me. You are ready for this, truly? I care a great deal for the princess, and if you so much as cause a perceived slight again…”

 

“You know us, Edmund – avoiding that is impossible. As much as I love her she’s also the only person who can so thoroughly infuriate me,” Arc said. Edmund’s look informed him this was no time for quips, and he smiled kindly. “Edmund, I love her. I can’t see anyone else as my queen. Yes, I’m ready.”

 

“Then come – let us get you wed!” Edmund said, and Arc’s eyes rolled again as he followed his friend out to the sanctuary. Yucie would be arriving any moment now.

 

**Mischievous**

Arc was ok saying he was a selfish person, especially when Yucie was involved. He was fine admitting that he liked being the focus of her attention, and considering they had just married not a handful of hours ago he felt justified in thinking he really should be the only focus of her attention that day. As it was, he was spinning her around the dance floor in their fourth waltz of the evening, and she kept looking over her shoulder at someone else.

 

“You’re making your husband jealous, Forehead,” he finally whispered, and she jumped and looked back at him. She at least had the decency to seem sheepish at being caught, and yet he knew that look in her eye. He smiled and leaned closer, giving the conversation a conspiratorial air. “Ok, what’s up?”

 

“It’s just…I was thinking…” she looked back over her shoulder, and she grinned at whatever she saw, before she turned back to him, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a quick kiss. That was more like it, he thought. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be distracted right now – but you do have me all to yourself for the next week.”

 

“If Sir Humphrey tries to tag along because your posture wasn’t perfect the entire evening, I swear I will have him banished,” Arc quipped, and she blinked before falling against him as a full-bodied laugh shook her frame.

 

“You’re horrible,” she said, smiling brilliantly. That mischievous twinkle came back into her eye, and she nudged his stomach with her shoulder. “Hey, what do you think about Gurenda and Edmund?”

 

“What?” he asked, thrown off guard by her sudden question. She grinned at him.

 

“He’s been eying her all night, and she’s…well, Gurenda,” Yucie said, shrugging. “I think we should introduce them.”

 

“They’ve met,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

 

“ _Introduce_ introduce them,” she said, and he shook his head.

 

“Oh, no – if you want to play matchmaker, you’re on your own,” he said. “Guys don’t do that sort of thing.”

 

“They do if their wives ask them really nicely,” she said innocently, smiling up at him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Come on, Arc! It would make Edmund really happy, having a stable woman in his life.”

 

“First off, Gurenda is _not_ stable,” he said, and he winced when she purposefully stepped on his foot. “Secondly, he was the one who came to me just this morning and called me ‘a man about to lose his life in matrimonial bondage’. Does that sound like someone wanting a steady woman to you?”

 

“I’m introducing them with or without your help,” she said, and she started to pull away when he tugged her back. She arched a brow at him, and he smirked as he dipped down to kiss her forehead. “Arc!”

 

“We’ll make some more rounds after the song’s over,” he said, “and if you’re that insistent, I’ll help – though it’s against every sensible voice in my head to do so.”

 

“Voices in your head aren’t a good thing, you know,” she quipped, and he bent down to nip at her ear. She squeaked and flushed a brilliant red, and he chuckled at her response.

 

“You’re the one who married the madman,” he whispered, pulling back, and she rolled her eyes before nudging him again. The song ended, and she grinned as she grabbed his hand. She paused momentarily, admiring the band now adorning his left ring finger, and he pulled their hands to his lips and brushed a kiss against her matching ring. She grinned at him, tugged on his hand, and led him over to where Edmund was standing by the wall, eying a certain princess with elegant beauty and fantastic magical powers.

 

**Happy**

_He said, “Son, can you play me a memory? I’m not really sure how it goes._

_But it’s sad, and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes.”_

“Piano Man” – Billy Joel

 

The band was playing a fast-paced ditty that had the dancers swinging ‘round the floor in a blur of laughter and fancy. In their midst, the blonde prince twirled a raven-haired beauty that looked resplendent in a white and pink wedding gown. The woman’s face was absolutely glowing, her eyes bright and cheeks rosy as the prince whispered something in her ear. Her head fell back with a laugh as he twirled her out before once again pulling her close – they looked like something out of a dream. Across the room, standing by the open bar, the woman’s father smiled behind a tumbler as he watched them dance. A dream or a fairy tale, but he supposed that was exactly what this was. His daughter’s life in many ways was exactly that: a fairy tale. And now she was getting her happily ever after, and he couldn’t be more proud.

 

The music drew to a close as Gunberd’s eyes drifted across the room. Sitting at the long table stretched across the side of the room, the one reserved for the bridal party, was Queen Erlsel. The old hero’s eyes softened as they landed on the queen. Her attention was pulled elsewhere, to their dancing children, and maybe he preferred it that way. He had spent so long apart from her, and then all of a sudden she was thrust back into his life. It had been seventeen years. For seventeen years he had put as much distance between them as possible, slinking away like a beaten dog to lick his wounds…and then there she was again, as beautiful as ever. There was still something there, if he was being honest: a gentle tug of the heart, the ghost of a memory long since past. Time had not diminished the feelings in the slightest, but it had washed over them like the tide on glass, smoothing the edges to where they didn’t prick quite as sharp anymore. He still loved Erlsel, and in a way he knew he always would, but he also knew now that being without her wouldn’t mean the end of his world. He knew it was the same for her: they had taken that spot in the other’s memory where cozy glows of youth reside. There was the warm fondness that came when recalling your first love, where the bitter sting of past hurts could no longer taint it. He could accept her marriage to the former king with an appreciation his younger self was incapable of. He could see the way she smiled at that guard of hers now and smile in a fond sort of amusement, easily joking at old habits and all that.

 

He could cross the ballroom as the band struck up their next number and ask her to dance, and it would be the dance of two old friends who now found themselves in-laws. No more, no less.

 

“Erlsel, may I have this dance?” he asked, and her blue eyes sparkled with surprise as she placed her hand in his own.

 

“Why, Gunberd. Of course,” she said, and as the band struck up a slow, whimsical string number he spun her out onto the floor. It was a familiar tune, one he recalled from so long ago on a night not so dissimilar to this one. A fancy party at the palace – a masquerade that allowed them to dance together without reproach – and a haunting number. The feel of her in his arms. So familiar, yet so different: old and new, forgotten and remembered…and dancing there with Erlsel, the world seemed to click.

 

“You’re looking at me rather oddly, Gunberd,” she chided, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “May I ask what has you so occupied?”

 

“It just occurred to me, Erlsel,” he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, “that I’m happy. Really, truly happy. I don’t think I’ve let myself admit that in twenty years.”

 

“I’m happy, too, Gunberd,” she said, her gaze lowering to find their children again. She shared a smile with her son as he twirled past them with his new bride, whose face broke into a beaming grin as she spotted them on the turn.

 

As Arc danced her away from their parents, Yucie looked up at him with sparkling eyes. He knew that look: she was plotting something. He had the sudden feeling that he had maybe bitten off more than he could chew with this one, but he didn’t entirely mind. Actually, he was looking forward to a lifetime of troublemaking and mishaps with her.

 

“Did you see? Did you see?” she asked, and he chuckled as he pulled her close.

 

“Calm down, Forehead,” he said. “They’re just dancing.”

 

“But they’re dancing! They’re…you don’t suppose…?” she glanced back at them, and he nudged her shoulder before pulling her attention back towards him. “But Arc, what if they’re…you don’t think they’d get back together after all this time, do you?”

 

“Yucie, stop being such a yenta,” he sighed in exasperation. She pouted at him, but he only leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You’ve already meddled with Edmund and Gurenda. Leave our parents be for the night. Besides, shouldn’t you be focusing more on me?”

 

“Fine,” she conceded, and his smile widened. “I’ll stop meddling and enjoy the party. But you know…my feet are starting to get reeeeally tired. Can we take a break after this song?”

 

“Of course,” he said. “Don’t want you wearing out too soon. I still have big plans for you tonight, highness.”

 

Her face turned scarlet at his implications, and he laughed as pulled her closer. He was never going to get tired of teasing her, of the elation he felt just being near her. He was never going to get tired of her.

 

**Ditzy**

“To new beginnings!” Yucie cheered as she raised the bottle high above her head. He cocked a brow at her, and she giggled loudly as she brought it back to her lips and took a long swig.

 

Looking back, he found it hard to believe, but he had never seen her drunk before. He wasn’t even sure if she had been. Granted, given she’d spent the majority of her life cursed to look like a ten-year-old, it was very possible she had never had a drink before – but, considering the part of her life that hadn’t been cursed had been spent in the company of a certain demon princess, he found it pretty unlikely. Then again, it was just as possible Gurenda had tried and failed to get her drunk, leaving that particular joy for him.

 

As it was, she was currently blitzed quite off her rocker, and he could tell she would have a wicked hangover come morning. He had intended their evening to be a romantic seaside dinner, enjoying their meal on the rocks beside the waves as the moon shone above. Maybe he had intended to get her a little tipsy, thinking the drink would help lower her inhibitions to make the excursion a little more… _enjoyable_ , but taking into account her inebriated state he could most definitely knock that particular bit of planning off the list. They might have been married (all right, two days married, to be precise), but he was still adverse to taking advantage – and making love to Yucie when she wasn’t sober enough to remember it was definitely taking advantage.

 

“Oof!” she huffed, coming down hard as she dropped to her knees on his lap. He reached out a hand to steady her as she blindly groped at him, one hand lifted away to keep from spilling the bottle. She grinned up at him, her eyes glassy in the firelight, and he sighed as he brushed some hair away from her face. “You, my prince, look entirely too serious!”

 

“I do?” he asked, a bemused grin curling his lips. Granted, he was slightly disappointed at the turn their evening had taken, but he wasn’t entirely put out. She was a rather amusing drunk, after all. “I can promise you, highness, I most certainly do not mean to.”

 

“Well ya’ do,” she huffed. She held up the bottle and pointed to it, leaning in close and locking an accusing glare his way. “You know, Arc, I think you got me drunk.”

 

He laughed loudly and plucked the bottle from her fingers, taking a swig as she collapsed in giggles against his chest. He smacked a kiss against her cheek and said, “I can assure you that was not my plan, Yucie, but I’m not complaining.”

 

“Everything’s swooshy!” she laughed, looking up. She paused, looking up at him in wonder. “Did you know…your eyes are really, really blue? Or maybe they’re green…they’re so pretty.”

 

“Really?” he asked, smirking haughtily, and she giggled as she straightened herself.

 

“Yep!” she popped the ‘p’ for extra emphasis. “You, Arc, are pretty. Hey…” She leaned in close, her eyes wide and suddenly insecure. “Do you think I’m pretty?”

 

“I think you’re gorgeous, Yucie,” he breathed, quickly catching her lips for a kiss. “You know that.”

 

“Arc…stop…I can’t tell which one I’m supposed to be kissing here,” she said, and when he pulled back she noticed an eyebrow on all three of him was higher than it had previously been. “When’d you learn to do that?”

 

“I think you’ve had enough,” he said, putting the bottle behind him, and she giggled as he kissed her neck.

 

“You know, I’ve never had that kind before?” she asked. “I’ve never actually had a drink before. Well…there’s that stuff your mom serves at balls, but that doesn’t count.”

 

“I was afraid of that,” he said, chuckling lightly, and she hummed as she curled against his chest.

 

“Stop spinning,” she said, and he laughed a bit louder.

 

“I’m not moving, Forehead,” he said. He waited for a response, and when one didn’t come he looked down to find she was already asleep. He chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead. It wasn’t an entire waste of a night, and they still had five more days at the beach before they had to return to start planning the coronation…

 

**Kinky**

**_Note:_ ** _Hey, Sar. Blatant pirating of your catchphrase for this one. I don’t think I could have done a ‘kinky’ theme and not. Love you!_

 

Yucie brought her teacup to her lips to hide the smirk curling them as she listened to her friend go on and on about her current love interest. The Princess of the Demon World had been talking – no, sorry, _gushing_ – for the past half hour about her old friend Edmund and how wonderful he was. For her part, Yucie had given herself a congratulatory pat on the back at a match well made. She had just known the two would hit it off when she had introduced them at her wedding two months before. And from the way Gurenda was talking, it sounded like another wedding was fast on the horizon.

 

“And my gods, Yucie, the sex is amazing!” Gurenda said, and Yucie was jerked out of her thoughts as shock caused her to choke on her tea. Her face felt like it was on fire as she turned to gawk at her friend.

 

“G-Gurenda!” she gasped, and the demon princess smirked at her.

 

“What? You’re not a virgin anymore – you don’t have to act so prudish,” she quipped. Yucie slammed her teacup down and spluttered.

 

“Th-that’s not the point!” she said indignantly. “You’ve only been together two months! You aren’t even married yet!”

 

“Demon,” Gurenda said, as if that explained everything. In her warped mind, it probably did. “Besides, we hooked up that first night you introduced us.”

 

Yucie hadn’t thought it was possible for her eyes to get wider until those words fell so carelessly from Gurenda’s mouth. Yes, maybe she could see Gurenda being so…flippant, but surely not Edmund…?

 

“I-I really have no idea what to say right now…” she said, perfectly aware of the way she was gawking at her friend. Gurenda merely stretched, arching her spine lazily like a cat. She looked way too self-satisfied, and if Yucie hadn’t known that look on the woman’s face so well she would swear she was bluffing.

 

“Hey, just because you made your prince wait until the ring was on your finger doesn’t mean all of us hold out like that,” Gurenda said. “Besides, like I said: the sex is amazing. That man really knows how to work a woman.”

 

“I don’t think I can talk about this…” Yucie said, her eyes locked firmly on the still liquid of her tea. Gurenda laughed raucously.

 

“Gods, Yucie! You are such a prude! I wonder how you even keep the prince satisfied with that kind of mentality!” she jibed. A wicked look flickered through her eyes, and Yucie found herself suddenly nervous as Gurenda leaned half onto the small table between them. “Unless…”

 

“U-unless what?” Yucie asked, that feeling of dread plopping into her stomach like a lead weight. She was amazed she hadn’t broken her teacup yet, what with how tight she was gripping it.

 

“Maybe you’re a little sex kitten in the bedroom?” Gurenda prodded with a faux sense of innocence, and Yucie screeched as she finally broke the cup. “Or a little dominatrix? I bet Prince Aero loves it rough, doesn’t he?”

 

“Gurenda! That is none of your business!” Yucie screeched, her skin stained crimson from the tip of her forehead to her neckline. Gurenda wondered if she could get the girl to blush clear down to her toes.

 

“What? Kinky’s better,” she said. “Oh, don’t tell me you guys are one of those boring couples. Edmund and I pulled out the binding spells the first night. Actually, I don’t think we even used a bed that night – it was all hot, rough wall sex.”

 

“GURENDA!” Yucie was amazed guards hadn’t come running with how loud she was screaming, but then again they were most likely used to it. Her friend did have a certain way of getting under one’s skin like that.

 

“Oh, relax, you brat,” Gurenda said, laughing as she waved her off. “You are such an uptight prude.”

 

Gurenda took a moment to study her friend, and when she reached a conclusion she was apparently satisfied with she said, “Promise me something.”

 

“I’m afraid to,” Yucie grumbled despondently, and Gurenda rolled her eyes.

 

“Tonight, don’t make love to Arc. Don’t even have sex with him,” the demon princess said. She leaned in and motioned for Yucie to do the same. She hesitantly, and rather unwillingly, did. Gurenda held a hand up to her mouth like she was whispering some national secret. “Tonight, _fuck him_.”

 

“GURENDA!” Yucie screamed, and the princess laughed as she darted away from her friend. Yucie was hot on her heels, shouting bloody murder after her. They reached the entryway of the garden, and Gurenda grinned when she saw who was entering. She came to a quick stop, Yucie slamming into her back as she realized too late that she was no longer running, and grinned up at the soon-to-be king.

 

“Good afternoon, Prince Aero! Lovely day, isn’t it?” she asked.

 

“Gurenda, you horrible person!” Yucie snapped as she rubbed her sore nose. Arc rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest.

 

“All right, what did you do now?” he asked. Gurenda laughed and twirled away, grinning wickedly at them.

 

“Oh, nothing. It really is time I get going, anyway – thank you for the tea, Yucie,” she said. She turned and gave the Platina Princess a pointed look before raising her hand to her mouth once more. “And remember, brat: kinky’s better.”

 

She winked and snapped her fingers, vanishing as Yucie growled at her. Her hands fisted in her dress, and she completely missed the curious look Arc was giving her.

 

“Do I even want to know?” he asked, and she huffed as she stomped back to the table they’d previously occupied.

 

“No, you most certainly do not!” she snapped. She heard him following behind her, and Gurenda’s words from earlier came unbidden to her mind.

 

_“Actually, I don’t think we even used a bed that night – it was all hot, rough wall sex.”_

 

She froze as wicked ideas started to form in her mind, such as pinning Arc to the table she was clearing and having her way with him. Her face burned scarlet as Gurenda’s orders came back to her mind: _“Tonight, fuck him.”_ She felt his hand on her lower back, and she squeaked as she jumped and quickly faced him. She wondered if she looked as guilty as she felt. She couldn’t even believe the thoughts floating through her mind – they were…they were…

 

“Really, Yucie, are you ok? You look –” he started, and she waved him off.

 

“I-I’m f-fine!” she stammered, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. She bit her lip and glanced back at the table. Damn. Now that the thought was there, it just wasn’t leaving. She looked back up at him, peeking out from under her lashes and nervously nibbling her lower lip. He groaned at the expression on her face and rested his hands on her hips, bending his head to kiss her neck.

 

“Do you have any idea what you do to me when you look at me like that?” he asked, and her hand hesitantly snaked around his neck.

 

“H-hey, Arc…”


	13. ...like Newlyweds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> M-rating comes into play here. (Nothing too explicit, but it's there.)

**Aroused**

She had to bite her lip to stop the gasp that threatened to escape. Her mother-in-law looked at her, an eyebrow raised in question, but at her strained smile the older monarch merely smiled, shook her head, and went back to reading off the schedule for the upcoming inauguration. Beside her, her husband of three months chuckled lowly and again brushed his hand against her thigh. She kicked him under the table, shooting a glare at him, but she faltered when she caught the utterly lascivious look in his shining eyes.

 

Gods, but he was incorrigible…

 

His hand crept higher, brushing closer to his goal, and she nearly squeaked as she felt the stirrings low in her belly. Warmth flooded her, and she bit her lip harder – this time to stop the moan. She was going to kill him when this was all over. They were supposed to be listening to his mother as they approved details for the coronation next week. He may be used to all this fancy protocol, being raised as a royal, but she was still new to it all – she wanted to pay attention so she didn’t mess up and make him look like a fool for choosing her!

 

He leaned over, lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “You’re as bored as I am – I can see it. Mother will understand if we leave now.”

 

She elbowed him when Erlsel turned her back, and he nipped at her earlobe in response. She couldn’t hide the groan that time, and when Erlsel turned back around Arc was back in his own chair, smothering a chuckle behind his hand. Erlsel gave her a sympathetic smile.

 

“I know it’s boring, Yucie,” she said. “Look, I can take care of this. Why don’t you two go have some fun?”

 

Her face burned scarlet at the loud guffaws Arc let out at the unintentional entendre, and she began spluttering excuses even as he stood, grabbed her hand, and drug her from the room, tossing a quick thanks over his shoulder. They were barely in the hall before he was pulling her into a hidden passage and pressing her against the wall, attacking her neck with his lips. As that warm burn erupted into a blazing inferno, she couldn’t actually say she minded.

 

**Calm**

Yucie had always loved the city at night. There was something enchanting about the way the moonlight fell over the rooftops. As a little girl, she loved curling up in her window and looking out over the sprawling hills. The city rising above the horizon always seemed a beacon of sorts, inspiring hope and dreams of a better future. A future without a curse. A future where people would see her as the adult she truly was instead of the incompetent child she appeared to be. Now that she had that future, now that she was not only a proper adult but queen of Erlsel to boot, she found the sprawling cityscape was still inspiring. Though the view was quite different from her bedroom balcony, she still found it magical. The way the moon shone down on her beloved city, the sense of peace that came from the sleeping homes…it always gave her a sense of calm.

 

A contented sigh slipped past her lips as her eyes closed. It was late, and most of the city was already asleep, but she could still hear some signs of life amid the chirps of crickets and night birds. A horse whinnied in the distance, and she could hear bawdy music from the tavern a block from the palace. She smiled when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and she turned her head slightly to see her husband standing behind her. He grinned and reached up for the towel that was holding her damp hair in place, but she quickly reached up and stopped him from removing the towel.

 

“It’s still wet, and it’s cold outside,” she said. Arc leaned in and placed a soft kiss against her cheek.

 

“Then come inside and let me dry it for you,” he said. She looked back out to the city and sighed.

 

“But it’s so peaceful…I don’t want to come in yet,” she said. He pulled her back against him and tucked his head against her shoulder.

 

“You smell good,” he murmured, and she laughed as she nudged her elbow into his stomach. “Come inside.”

 

He stepped back and slid his hand down to capture her wrist, and he gave her a grin as he pulled her back into their room. He climbed onto the bed and pulled her down to sit on the edge, and she sighed as he slowly removed the towel form her hair. He had developed a strange fascination with drying her hair and had become a near expert at it. It had become a nightly ritual of sorts. After her bath, he would pull her to their bed and work a towel through her wet hair. Once it was sufficiently dry, he would brush out the kinks. She had fought him at first, insisting that she was perfectly capable of drying her own hair, but he hadn’t relented. In all honesty, she loved the pampering. There was just something relaxing about having him work on her hair.

 

“I love you,” she murmured, a note of sleepiness creeping into her voice. He pulled the brush through and leaned closer, and she hummed as he placed a kiss on her neck.

 

“And I you,” he whispered.

**Naughty**

She squeaked as arms tugged her back into an alcove. A row of trees and bushes hid the space from the more open area of the garden she’d been walking in, leaving her hidden with her abductor. A hand had clapped over her mouth, and she was just turning her head to scream when a voice by her ear whispered, “Shhhh…”

 

The hand lowered and she breathed his name as his lips pressed against her neck. She elbowed him, and he chuckled even as he continued to lavish attention upon her skin. Her struggles were half-hearted at best, and then he was hiking up her gown to run a hand along her thigh. She gasped, her sense of propriety battling with instinct at the feeling he was causing. She wanted nothing more than to let him continue, yet she couldn’t forget they were in a very public garden with many of his mother’s friends and acquaintances milling about in a late-summer party.

 

“Relax,” he whispered to her, his hand skimming closer to his goal. She bit her lip as a finger brushed against her, and she elbowed him again. He chuckled again, a little louder this time, before she glared at him.

 

“This is so not the time, Arc!” she hissed. “Your mother’s throwing a party, and we should be out there, and what if they see us, and would you stop doing that?!”

 

“Doing what, princess?” he asked, and her head fell back against his shoulder as he repeated the action.

 

“Oh, gods, that,” she moaned.

 

“As long as it makes you make that delicious sound? Never,” he said, nipping at her earlobe. His words mixed with that blasted tone of voice sent any sense of good intentions out the window. She whirled around, her skirts falling awkwardly around his hand as he raised it to catch her hip, and crushed her lips to his. She pushed him back against the palace wall as she jumped up, hooking her legs around his waist. His hands slid under her rear, pressing her closer to him as he leaned back against the wall.

 

“Thought you wanted me to stop?” he asked as her lips left his to run along his jaw.

 

“Shut up before I change my mind, highness,” she said, and she was quickly kissing him again to swallow the chuckle.

 

“Frederik! Have you seen Aero and Yucie? I’ve been looking everywhere for them,” they heard his mother say, and Yucie froze against him. He slid a hand up to her lower back and ran his thumb against her skin, hoping to calm the terror he saw in her eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her and glanced behind her. He could just see his mother and guard beyond the row of trees.

 

“I’m sorry, majesty, but I haven’t seen them since the beginning of the party. I’m sure they’re here, but they most likely sneaked off somewhere. You know how newlyweds are,” Frederik said, and his mother laughed.

 

“Yes, well. If you see them, let them know I wish to speak with them,” she said, and Frederik consented before they both moved on. Arc looked back to Yucie, and he placed a kiss on her nose.

 

“See? They’re none the wiser,” he said. She still shook her head and tried to push away. “Yucie,” and when she continued to attempt escape: “Yucie! Calm down!”

 

“I feel so dirty, Arc,” she said. “We shouldn’t be doing this. We –”

 

“Are happily married and enjoying a perk of that marriage,” he said. He kissed her neck again and pushed her hips into his own. She gasped, her hands clenching his shoulders as sensation shot up her spine. “Think of it as less dirty and more…naughty.”

 

“Naughty?” she asked, snorting as she looked up at him from under her lashes. He swallowed, nearly coming undone at the way she did that. “Like…this?”

 

She pushed against his groin, and his head fell back against the wall. He nodded, and she giggled at the tortured look on his face.

 

“Gods, Yucie, I need you,” he said. “If you have any desire for me to stop you need to leave right now.”

 

“Less dirty,” she said, smirking as she slid a hand down and pressed it between their bodies. He groaned again as she began to stroke him. “More…naughty.”

 

He wondered briefly at how she had so quickly and thoroughly gained the upper hand in this little tryst, but then she stroked him again and all logical thought went out the window. Gods, but she’d be the death of him…

 

**Chipper**

“I don’t know about this…” Beth commented, looking over the map with a dubious expression.

 

“It will all be fine,” Yucie said. The map was laid out on a table between them, and Gurenda and Kokoru sat on the other sides. Erumina was curled up on a lounge by a window, immersed in a book and apparently paying them no mind. For her part, Yucie was practically bouncing in her seat she was so excited. “Come on, Beth! A last hurrah before summer’s over! And we can all bring our significant others and make it a couples’ getaway!”

 

“I’m in,” Gurenda said. Her grin turned lascivious as she looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve been dying to see Edmund in a swimsuit. I am so there.”

 

“You’ve been to Mr. Gil’s resort before, Beth,” Kokoru added. She reached out and took Beth’s hand in her own. “You know how nice it is there. It will be a nice chance to spend some alone time together at the beach before summer’s done.”

 

“Alone time? With those two around?” Beth asked incredulously, and Gurenda snorted.

 

“Please, don’t delude yourself,” she said. “If it’s a choice between my man in a swimsuit and you, who do you think I’m going to choose?”

 

“You really don’t want me to answer that, Gurenda,” Beth said, a wicked grin curling her lips. Gurenda blinked at her before she shrieked and threw a pillow her way. Beth caught it, laughing.

 

“Gross, Beth! Like I’d ever!” Gurenda laughed. Kokoru and Yucie rolled their eyes at their friends’ antics, then Yucie turned to Erumina.

 

“What do you say, Erumina? Would Adonil like to join us for an excursion to the beach?” she asked.

 

“He would find it a trifle, but I imagine he would consider the trifle amusing,” the angel said without looking up from her book. She turned a page. “But yes, I believe he would like to join us, as would I.”

 

“Then it’s settled!” Yucie cheered, still bouncing on her heels. “I’ll contact Mr. Gil tonight, and we leave in the morning!”

 

“You act like we’ve never taken a trip anywhere together before,” Beth said, grinning wryly, and a light blush stained Yucie’s cheeks.

 

“It’s not that…we just haven’t in a while. I think it’s going to be fun,” she said. “And I can’t wait. I’ve missed hanging out with you guys.”

 

“We could leave the husbands home and make it a girls’ night out kind of deal,” Beth said, and Gurenda snorted.

 

“And let you and Kokoru be the only ones getting any action all weekend? Yeah right!” she said, and Kokoru squeaked as Yucie snorted on a laugh.

 

“We’ll all go, and we’ll extend the invitation to our significant others,” she said. “Besides, as tempted as I am by the idea of a girls’ night, I think I’d have trouble sleeping away from Arc. I’m…used to him, now.”

 

Beth and Kokoru shared a knowing look as she ducked her head and blushed, but Gurenda snorted.

 

“You are still such a brat,” she said. She slapped her hands on the table and grinned at the others. “All right! It’s decided: in the morning, we leave!”

 

**Peaceful**

Her eyes slid closed in bliss as she breathed in the aroma permeating the kitchen. She leaned forward on the table, resting her head on her folded arms and sighing as she relished the scent. A tray of pecan pastries were in the oven, filling the large palace kitchen with warmth and the smell of fall. A basket was on the table beside her, already packed for the excursion she had planned for later that evening. (Arc would be escorting her to the Harvest Festival, and she planned on having a picnic in one of the outer gardens before the fireworks.)

 

She glanced back at the wicker basket, smiling at the leaves and off-white flowers she had decorated it with. This would be their first Harvest Festival as a married couple. Her cheeks flushed at the thought; they had been married a month prior, towards the end of summer, and now…

 

She sat up, pushing those thoughts back for later, and grabbed her mug to sip at the hot cider. She smiled at the warmth as it coursed through her. A pair of arms wrapped about her middle, and she nearly dropped the mug in surprise. She glanced to her side just as Arc placed his head on her shoulder, and she grinned at him.

 

“It smells wonderful in here,” he commented. He placed his nose against her skin, breathing deep. He added, “But then so do you.”

 

“I’ve been in the kitchen all morning – I smell just like it,” she said, and he hummed as began tracing lazy patterns with his thumb against her stomach. She leaned back against him, letting the crisp smell of fall and outside tinged with stables envelop her. He had been out riding. “The pastries will be done soon, then we can go. If you’d like.”

 

“Mhm,” he murmured. “I have something to show you later, when we get back.”

 

“What?” she asked, and he shook his head.

 

“It’s a surprise,” he said, and she rolled her eyes. He smiled cheekily, but a timer on the table went off before he could say anything more. She kissed him quickly before disentangling herself from his arms. He closed his eyes and inhaled as she pulled the pastries from the oven and set them on the countertop between them. “Those smell divine.”

 

“Stop!” she scolded as he reached for one. She slapped his hand away, and he cocked a brow. “Those are for later – besides, they’re too hot right now. Come on.”

 

She crossed the table and grabbed his hand, pulling him along behind her. At the door she hung her apron up on a post, and then she continued to lead him away from the kitchens.

 

“Yucie?” he asked, and she waved him off.

 

“I just want to change,” she said. “Georgi’s going to put those away once they’ve cooled. We can get going in a – Arc!”

 

He stopped her and pulled her back against him, nuzzling her neck as he gave her a squeeze. She sighed and closed her eyes; she was used to his random acts of affection by now, and quite honestly she didn’t think she could complain. She enjoyed them a bit too much at times. He nipped her neck, and she tried to tell herself the shiver that ran through her was from the drafty autumn castle.

 

“Come on,” he said, nudging her forward slightly. “Let’s get you dressed.”


	14. ...like We're Settling In

**Surprised**

“You’re going to ruin your dinner,” she chided as he finished a pecan pastry. He just grinned and continued to lead her along.

 

“Not if I only have one,” he said. To be safe, she shifted the basket on her arm so it was farther away from him. He smirked. “Besides, you made so many, and they looked delicious. I couldn’t just leave them there.”

 

“You’re such a child sometimes,” she quipped, and she wanted to flick him when he quirked that brow at her. Instead she nudged his side, and he let the comment pass. He stopped outside a large set of doors and took the basket from her. “Arc?”

 

“Close your eyes – this is your surprise,” he said. She frowned and looked like she was going to protest, so he set the basket by the door, stepped behind her, and covered her eyes. She heard the door open and he led her through. By the fragrance in the air and the soft feeling of grass beneath her feet, she knew they had stepped into a garden.

 

“Arc?” she asked again, and he shushed her as he led her a short distance in. Just as she was starting to get agitated, he removed his hands – and her breath left her in a startled gasp. Her mouth hung open as she looked around with wide eyes, and the sudden urge to cry overcame her (but, knowing he would never let her live it down, she stubbornly denied it).

 

All around her were bushes and bushes of sunset brights. They stood in a clearing in the center of the garden, a small fish pond with a fountain burbling merrily away off to the side. A few trees dotted the room, providing shade, but the main plant in the garden…all around her was their flower, each bush blooming. The garden was entirely indoors, and yet the ceiling was glass. Sunset light filtered in from the evening sky, and their flowers looked aflame. When she could finally tear her eyes from the blooms, she turned to find Arc standing behind her with their picnic basket. He smiled warmly at her, and she squealed before running at him and giving him a crushing hug. He laughed as he caught her and held her tight.

 

“The princess approves?” he asked, and she nodded.

 

“The princess loves it!” she said. She pulled back slightly to look around the room, a goofy grin splitting her face. “How did you…Arc, this is amazing!”

 

“I was hoping it would be ready by the wedding, but the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet,” Arc said. He kissed her forehead. “The garden was supposed to be your wedding present. Dan helped me get it ready.”

 

She made a mental note to thank the gardener later. This was…her breath caught in her throat again, and she pulled Arc down to properly kiss him. He grinned against her mouth, and the kiss was broken as she started giggling.

 

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. “This is…this is perfect. I love it.”

 

“It’s yours, Yucie. Your own private garden,” he said, smiling softly, and she shook her head and kissed him again.

 

“Ours,” she said, and he hummed appreciatively. “Our flower, our garden. Thank you, Arc. I love it.”

 

**Sinful**

Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt his fingers dancing along her spine. She shifted slightly, felt the strap of her nightgown slip down her shoulder and reveal more of her back to his searching hands, and tried to focus on the words on the page. He moved, straddling her rump and bending over her to place open-mouthed kisses along her shoulder blades; his hands slipped along her sides, grazing the undersides of her breasts. Her head fell forward into her book.

 

“Arc…” she meant to whine, but it came out sounding more like a half-strangled moan. He chuckled, his chest rumbling against her back, and she shivered. “I’m trying to read.”

 

“But you’re so much more interesting than whatever’s in that dusty old book Mother gave you,” he quipped, and she groaned.

 

“Do not talk about your mother while you’re trying to seduce me,” she ordered, and he chuckled again.

 

“Trying? I thought I was succeeding,” and he kissed the junction between her neck and shoulder, sucking slightly and…

                                                                                                                   

“Arc!” she gasped as those blasted fingers trailed lower. She laughed, a raspy sound he loved knowing he caused, and pushed herself up on her elbows. “You little cheat.”

 

“Still trying?” he asked, smirking at her, and she laid back down at the gentle prodding of his hands on her back. They slid over her muscles, kneading and rubbing in a delicious way that had her coming undone beneath him.

 

“Mmmm,” she hummed, resting her head on her arms. “I think you’re succeeding.”

 

**Sympathetic**

He was sprawled out on the sofa in his study, brow furrowed in concentration as he read over a letter from a neighboring dignitary. He was halfway through the letter – a simple update on the general state of affairs, hopes to see the young king at the new year’s ball, and well wishes on his marriage – when the weight of the sofa shifted. He looked to his side as Yucie sat down and, without preamble, curled against his side. Her head was propped on his lap, her arms curled in front of her with a hand fisted against his knee, and her gaze was locked on the dying fire. He waited for her to speak, to give some explanation for her unusual actions, but she remained silent. Finally he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She was never this quiet, and it was disconcerting. A terrified part of his mind went back to the days before their engagement, when she had thought he was trying to end things between them. She had been withdrawn from him then, too.

 

“Yucie?” he asked, and still she would not respond. He brushed some hair out of her face, and her eyes closed.

 

“Don’t, Aero,” she said, and he sucked in a breath. She so rarely used his proper name, and though she was warming to its use it still at times felt like a slap. “Just…don’t.”

 

“What happened?” he asked, and her hand squeezed his knee. “Yucie, what’s wrong? What happened to make you so…”

 

“Aero, please,” she whispered. “I can’t…I don’t want to go into it. I just…let me lie here? I just need to know you’re here, and…I just…it’s been a really weird day, and I just need to be with you right now.”

 

Somehow he knew that would be all the explanation he would get on the matter. He placed the unfinished letter on the table by his mug of tea and angled his body towards her. He raised an arm in invitation, and she gave him a grateful smile before she crawled against his side. She couldn’t explain the melancholy that had overtaken her earlier that day, and she was glad she didn’t have to. She took comfort in knowing her king understood and was gracious enough to let her intrude on his time without any reason. Her eyes closed as his lips dropped a kiss against her forehead, and she hummed in appreciation.

 

“Whatever happened, Yucie, know that I’m here,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “I love you, Forehead. Mope if you need to, but please remember how much I earnestly adore you.”

 

She was overcome by the silliest urge to cry, and she ducked her head into his vest to hide the tears. She sniffled an affirmation, and he dropped another kiss to the crown of her head. They remained that way for the rest of the night, until they both fell asleep to the dying embers’ glow.

 

**Lazy**

He stretched out his limbs, his back arching and toes curling as he reveled in the feeling. Early morning sunlight streamed through the balcony doors, creeping across his room and warming him from head to toe. He was utterly relaxed and possessed absolutely no desire to move from his spot in his bed. He cracked an eye open and looked at the space beside him, and a slow smile curled his lips as he saw the mass of dark hair.

 

His wife was still asleep, her back pressed against his side and one of his arms keeping her there. He reached over and moved that lone curl aside, revealing her peaceful face, and he grinned as he curled himself around her. He held her closer, and she hummed as he jostled her slightly. She was waking up.

 

“Morning,” he whispered, kissing her neck, and she smiled at him.

 

“What time is it?” she asked, and he shushed her.

 

“Early,” he said. “Go back to sleep. We don’t have to get up today.”

 

“Arc,” she said, laughing as she turned in his arms. He was about to protest until he felt the way she was pressed against him: a decided improvement. “We can’t stay in bed all day.”

 

“Yes, we can,” he said. “We’re the king and queen. We can take a lazy day if we want.”

 

“Being the king and queen means we technically can’t,” she said. “We have a kingdom to serve.”

 

“One day, Yucie,” he murmured, kissing her languidly. She groaned against his lips, and he smiled. “The kingdom won’t fall apart in one day.”

 

She wanted to protest, but they had been awfully busy lately. She felt like she’d only seen her husband at meals and during the night, and even then they were so exhausted they barely said words before falling asleep. He kissed her again, and it was all the convincing she needed.

 

“Fine,” she said, running a hand through his unruly hair. “One day to be lazy.”

 

**Sick**

It came upon her quickly, like a wave crashing her against the sand and refusing to let her stand. All the same, she fought against the roiling and scrambled from the bed (she may have kicked her sleeping husband in the process – she wasn’t sure) to race to the ensuite. She’d barely made it to the toilet before she collapsed, retching into the bowl. As quickly as it came it went, and she was left shaking and gasping for breath.

 

“Yucie?” she glanced at the door to see Arc standing there, rubbing his side and blinking at her. “You ok?”

 

She wanted to snap back at him (“Do I look it?”), but she bit her tongue and nodded. Instead she said, “Sorry for waking you. I’m ok now, though.”

 

“You kicked me,” he said, grinning at her, and she smiled weakly. He knelt beside her and brushed her hair back, place a quick kiss against her forehead. “Really, though. Are you all right?”

 

“F–” she tried, but her stomach lurched again and she was once more throwing up. He held her hair back for her, rubbing her back as she deposited the contents of her stomach, and again it passed. He fetched her a glass of water, and she rinsed her mouth out before spitting that in the toilet, too.

 

“This has been happening a lot lately, Forehead,” he chided. She started to protest, but he held up a hand. “Go to the healer tomorrow – please? Just to give me some peace of mind.”

 

She groaned and nodded, and he thanked her. Ten minutes later, he was helping her back into their bed, and she was praying that – by the time they woke up – any thoughts of the healer would have left his mind. Surely this was just a stomach bug, right? Nothing at all to worry about…


	15. ...like Nine Months Goes By Quick

**Giddy**

When she had awakened the next morning to another round of vomiting, Arc hadn’t even given her a chance to go to the healer: he fetched the man himself and brought him back to their rooms. When he had returned and found her still in the ensuite, she had promptly kicked him out. He was hesitant to agree, but the healer had convinced him otherwise. All the same, she knew he was most likely pacing the hall right outside their door.

 

Now, though, she had to admit she was glad for it. She blinked at the healer as he beamed at her, unable to process the information. His grin slipped at her prolonged silence.

 

“Majesty?” he asked, his voice leathery with age. “Are you quite all right? I would think this would be joyous news!”

 

“I’m…are you certain?” she asked, and his smile softened as he recognized the fear in her eyes. It was natural with first timers, and he knew it would soon be replaced with...he nodded, and his grin widened as he saw the joy overcome the fear. “Truly?”

 

“There’s no doubt in my mind, Majesty,” he said, and she squealed before she threw herself at him, hugging him fiercely. He laughed and returned the embrace, starting slightly when the door burst open and a terrified-looking king rushed into the room.

 

“Yucie? Is everything –?” Arc started, and she beamed at him. He frowned, obviously confused, and she released the healer to tackle him. He caught her effortlessly, and she began laughing uncontrollably. Gods, but she was practically giddy with the news – absolutely euphoric!

 

“I’m pregnant,” she finally whispered when she had caught her breath. He set her down and stepped back, gawking at her with wide eyes. She began laughing again, bouncing as she grasped his hands. “Arc! We’re pregnant!”

 

And King Aero, ruler of Erlsel, promptly fainted.

 

**Scared**

Her heart had lodged itself somewhere in the vicinity of her throat even as her stomach plummeted to her feet. Her hands wrung in a nervous twitch, and her eyes looked through the window without actually seeing anything. It was gray, she could tell that much. Lightning illuminated the window as thunder cracked the sky, and it added to the tenseness curling in her limbs. She couldn’t stay here…she couldn’t watch him…she couldn’t…

 

“Yucie,” she jumped at his voice, and she turned to face him with wide, terrified eyes. His didn’t look as scared as she felt, but she could see his apology even before he voiced it. Her hand slid to her rounding belly, and a look of pain flashed across that otherwise passive face. He took a step closer, and she stepped back. The pain was mixed with hurt that time.

 

It wasn’t his fault. They had received the summons just that morning, and he was only doing his duty. It was likely nothing would even come of the council he had been called away to. Best-case scenario, he would smooth over the dispute and be home by the end of the week. Worst-case…

 

“I’m a war orphan,” she said, and it scared her how hollow her voice sounded. He looked away, unable to hold the mask in place any longer. Guilt, fear, pain, hurt….it was all there for her to see, clear as day. He was as terrified as she was. “Aero, I’m a war orphan. My parents…and now…if you…”

 

Her words cut off by a choked sob, and she covered her mouth with both hands as she fell to her knees. He rushed to her side, gathering her up in his arms as she wept for the uncertainty before them.

 

“Don’t go, Arc,” she begged, clinging to him. “Don’t put our child through that. Please. Don’t make me go through it again.”

 

“I will come back to you,” he said, pressing his lips to her temple and leaving them there in a lingering kiss. “I swear, Yucie, I will come back to you. There isn’t even a war yet – don’t blow this up to something it’s not.”

 

But she couldn’t help it. She knew the kings in question, knew how impetuous and cruel they could be – knew they were itching for a good battle, and if they had it their way they’d be fighting by next month.

 

“Don’t go,” she whispered, clinging tighter to him. “Please, Arc, don’t go.”

 

She couldn’t lose him, not now, and she was terrified that she would.

 

**Thankful**

The past month had been hellish to say the least, between worry for her husband and the changes the baby was causing to her body. One morning she would wake up rushing to the ensuite, the contents of her stomach begging release as the baby did acrobatics in her womb. The next she would find herself standing on their balcony, wringing her hands as she spent hours staring out at the horizon. Cube had suggested a walk through the gardens one day, and upon arriving in their garden she had collapsed in tears with worry. Atop it all was the former Queen, who hovered with every good intention from the moment they told her of the pregnancy.

 

She loved her mother-in-law, she did, but some days she just wished the woman would leave her be. She was grateful for the advice, but what she needed was her husband, not some old wives’ tale that was supposedly good for the baby.

 

That particular afternoon found her back in their garden, sitting on the bench by the pond and tossing breadcrumbs to the ducks she had brought in during her husband’s absence. There were two, young and speckled brown and gray with black beaks. The female quacked and waddled over to her, nipping at her hand affectionately as she fed her.

 

She jumped when someone plopped down on the bench next to her, sighing wearily and leaning against her as if whoever the man was was too exhausted to remain conscious. She was preparing to scream when she actually looked at the man, and her heart nearly stopped as she recognized the mop of dirty, wet, blonde hair plastered to the king’s head.

 

“I fully expect to hear all about the two months I’ve been away and tell you about this idiotic war they decided to wage, but right now I’m dead tired and just want to hold my wife,” he said, his voice groggy. His arms wrapped around her middle, a hand stopping to splay its fingers against her rounding belly, and she returned the embrace with as much restraint as she could. Foregoing her usual exuberance, she instead held him tightly and pressed her face against his neck.

 

“You’re alive,” she breathed, and he chuckled as he nodded.

 

“Did you think I wouldn’t be? I told you I’d come back to you,” he said, and in that moment she didn’t care if he was soaked from the storm outside and smelt like a week’s worth of horseback travel. She had been scared to death, damn it, and she was going to welcome him home properly.

 

She pulled him to her and pressed her lips to his, kissing him fiercely as tears fell unbidden from her eyes. He brushed them away with his thumbs, still clad in his riding gloves, and returned the kiss with equal fervor. When she finally pulled away, he was smiling at her with a bemused sort of expression.

 

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” she said, and before he could respond she was hugging him once more. He smiled and kissed her forehead, and she hummed in appreciation for the missed gesture. He was home and he was safe. That was all that mattered.

 

**Pleased**

The pregnancy had been going better than they could have hoped. Yucie was right on schedule, the baby was developing fine, and earlier that week they had even discovered that they would be having a little girl. The war – minor skirmishes of bratty nobles, really – was over with no threat of resurfacing. Everything seemed great.

 

There was just one tiny issue that had been bothering King Aero.

 

“Yucie?” he asked late one night. He had been up reading, and Yucie was dozing by his side. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, a product of the baby sitting uncomfortably the closer they got to the due date. She grumbled unintelligibly, more just an acknowledgment that he had her attention instead of actual words. “I’ve been thinking…you know, the baby’s going to be here soon.”

 

“What an astute observation,” she grumbled, and he smiled as he turned a page in his book. “I was thinking she was just going to stay in here forever.”

 

“My point is, you’re getting pretty far in the pregnancy, and…well, we haven’t really discussed names, have we?” he asked. That seemed to catch her attention. She looked up at him, any trace of ire replaced by a sense of wonderment as she stared at him. He pretended he was still reading, as if he hadn’t just poked at an important topic. “Shouldn’t we be getting on that? I mean, we can’t really just call her ‘the baby’ forever. She’ll need a name.”

 

“I…well, there was one, but I don’t think you’ll like it,” Yucie finally said after a long moment. He glanced down at her, curiosity painting his features. Yucie was looking at her stomach, her hands carefully holding it as if she was instead holding the baby. “I mentioned it to your mother while you were away, and…well, she didn’t seem crazy about the idea.”

 

“It’s our baby, Yucie, not hers. We’re the ones who have to like the name. What were you thinking?” he asked. Her hand rubbed over the top of her belly, and he reached out to catch the hand. “Yucie. What name were you thinking about?”

 

“Well…I…Maggie,” she finally said. She looked up at him, and she seemed so unsure of herself, or maybe it was his reaction she was unsure of. “Magazerent, actually.”

 

He carefully schooled his expression, trying his best to not give away any sort of reaction. He closed his book and held it to his stomach, studying her. Keeping his voice as steady as possible, he asked, “And what inspired that particular choice, exactly?”

 

Yucie looked back to her stomach, and for a moment he wondered if she would answer. When she finally did, she surprised him – though, really, he didn’t see why. It was so classically Yucie, after all.

 

“I know your mother doesn’t like the Great Magician, and I guess I shouldn’t, either. But…Arc, don’t you see? I’m her,” she said. He was confused by the relation until she explained. “Everything she did, as horrible as it was, in the end it was to protect whoever would become the next Platina Princess. She had been hurt so horribly by the Tiara, but once it had been assembled again she knew there was no other choice. She was trying to protect us from experiencing the pain she had in the only way she knew how.”

 

She smiled slightly, and he breathed deeply as he saw the tears in her eyes.

 

“Aero, I don’t hate her,” she said. “Actually, I’m grateful for her. Because of her, I was able to save everyone. But everyone else…I want to remember her, Aero, and I want them to remember her for the good in her, too. In the end, she wasn’t the Great Magician. She was just another Princess Candidate who had been hurt by the Tiara.”

 

“And you want to name our daughter after her?” he asked, and she laughed weakly.

 

“You hate it as much as your mother does, don’t you?” she asked. She gasped when he pulled her onto his lap, hugging her fiercely. “A-Arc?”

 

“You will never cease to amaze me, Yucie,” he said. He knew she was expecting him to be upset, yet he couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of her. Of course she would do something like this, and wasn’t that one of the things he loved about her? From her reasoning, he couldn’t think of a better name for their daughter. And if bothered his mother that much…well, like Yucie said: they could always call her Maggie. Maggie…he liked it. He kissed her cheek, a smile curling his lips. “I love it, Forehead.”

 

**Indescribable**

The room was dark, the only source of light being a low candle on the table by the bed. Her husband sat in a chair near the light, a small bundle of blankets nestled in his arms. The soft light bathed him in shadows, but it was enough for her tired eyes to see the look of absolute reverence and awe on his face. The bundle shifted, and he lifted a hand to brush a finger along the opening – she couldn’t see the face. A part of her twinged at that; she wanted nothing more than to see her daughter, to hold her, but she had been so tired. Maggie hadn’t come easy, and she had barely had the chance to see her before exhaustion overtook her.

 

“Shhh, precious,” Arc whispered as Maggie squirmed again. “You need to be quiet now. Mummy needs her rest – you wore her out.”

 

He chuckled at something their daughter did, and he shifted her slightly – bringing her closer to his chest. He began humming a quiet tune, and her eyes threatened to close again. She forced them open; she didn’t want to miss another moment. She reached out, her hand coming into contact with his knee, and he looked up in surprise. A slow grin spread across his face as she smiled at him.

 

“You should be sleeping,” he chided, and she shook her head and pushed herself up in the bed. The actions made her wince as a pain lanced through her lower half, but she knew it would heal in time. He grinned and carefully moved from the chair to sit beside her, holding their little one out, and her breath caught in her throat. Oh, but she was glorious…

 

“Give her here,” she whispered, holding her arms out, and he smiled as he handed Maggie over. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she held their daughter close, and she breathed deep as she bent to kiss the girl’s forehead. (She was adamantly not noticing how it looked like the child would take after her in that respect.) “Oh, angel…”

 

Her heart felt full to bursting. She had felt that bond grow over her pregnancy, but she had never imagined how strong it would be once Maggie was finally here with them. It was indescribable, the love she felt for this little person she had just met – glancing at Arc, she saw the same depth of emotion sparkling in his eyes. She wanted to laugh and cry all at once, but instead she just leaned back against him. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, and she looked back to Maggie’s blissfully peaceful, sleeping face. She was theirs. She was there. Alive. Healthy.

 

“You really should be resting, Yucie,” Arc whispered, kissing her shoulder. She nodded but made no move to return Maggie.

 

“One more minute,” she pleaded, and she felt him smile against her skin. “Just one more minute…”


	16. ...like Death Comes to Us All in Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death ahoy.

**Drained**

She sank into the rocking chair, rubbing Maggie’s back and making shushing noises as she tried to calm the baby’s squalling. She would have thought Maggie would have screamed herself hoarse by now, or at least into unconsciousness, but the baby was ill and had been fitful since the previous day. Yucie had stayed with her in the nursery instead of going to bed, but it was nearing morning after a long night and equally long day and she was…she couldn’t even process how she was. She felt like she had no energy anymore, and she could feel her head drooping even as she continued to rock her daughter.

 

“Maggie, please,” she whispered. “Please, sweetie, go to sleep.”

 

Maggie only screamed louder, reaching out to grab at her mother’s hair and pull. Yucie, used to this after Maggie’s month of life, winced but said nothing. Another half hour passed, and Maggie finally started to settle. Yucie’s humming was slurred as she rocked her, her eyes drooping. She started awake as she felt her daughter’s weight leave her arms, and terror gripped her at the thought that she could have dropped her baby. She stared wide-eyed at the floor and saw a pair of muddy boots. Her head felt like lead as she lifted it to see Arc, still in travel garb, frowning at her and holding Maggie.

 

“You’re back,” she said, and his frown deepened at how out of it she seemed. Shifting Maggie to one arm, he gently gripped Yucie’s arm and led her up. She stumbled slightly, and he shifted again to help steady her.

 

“You can’t even stand straight,” he said. “Yucie, you –”

 

“Maggie’s sick,” she said, and he glanced at their daughter before looking back at her. “She…I couldn’t…she…”

 

“You can’t even talk coherently,” he chided, and she tried to glare at him but found she couldn’t.

 

“You smell funny,” she said instead, and he laughed as he led her over to Maggie’s crib. He laid the baby down, whispering a quick promise to return shortly, before he took Yucie by the shoulders and led her to their room.

 

“I’ve been on the road for two and a half days,” he said as they walked down the hall. “I’m glad I convinced Thomas to ride through part of the night. I expected you to take better care of yourself.”

 

“Maggie’s sick,” she said again as he opened the door to their room.

 

“And if you wear yourself out you’ll be no use to her,” he chided, and she blinked as she realized she was sitting on their bed. Arc had left the room, but she could hear running water in the ensuite.

 

“But…” she started, lost track of the thought, and rubbed her face to clear her mind.

 

“Sleep, Forehead!” he called from the shower, and she groaned as she fell back on the bed. When he emerged not five minutes later, she was already out.

 

**Numb**

**_N.B.:_ ** _Recently it was revealed to me that a subject of childhood terror is in fact steeped in myth and not just a New Englander’s nightmarish head (given my love of myth/this particular branch, it really shouldn’t have shocked me as much as it did). Dreamer in Silico, I’m still not sure I’m thankful for the revelation._

 

A new horror had crept over the woods over the past month. It had started with one or two attacks, but the number had steadily been on the rise to where it wasn’t unlikely to hear of a couple a week. Families were afraid to let their loved ones on the road, convinced that if they took the forest path they’d never be seen again. No one traveled after dark, when the attacks were more frequent.

 

The guard had formed search parties, yet no matter how long or thoroughly they searched the woods they never found the mysterious culprits. Rumors began to spread, as fears are want to do, about grotesque forms in the forest. Human, but not. Bonfire dances deep in the woods that beckoned and trapped. Screams of terror that permeated the night. Hats of a ruddy color and metallic stench.

 

As the attacks persisted and the rumors spread, tensions reached even the palace. It wasn’t long before Arc had once again asked her to stay in the castle, and after the last time so many years ago she was more willing to listen. After all, they had a daughter now, and how irresponsible would it be of her to travel beyond the castle walls and leave them all? She had almost died the last time; this time, it was almost certain that she would.

 

A month passed into two with little success. She began to worry for her father and steward, and though she could not visit them she decided correspondence would be the next best thing. A letter was delivered, and a week passed with no reply. When Cube finally sought her out at the palace, he found her in her favorite garden, holding Maggie and looking up through the glass ceiling at the twilit sky. She had been stunned and overjoyed to see him, until she had seen his face. He looked…gods, but he looked horrible. Her eyes dropped to his hand as his name left a question on her lips, and her heart froze.

 

She knew that bloodied shirt.

 

**Broken**

It had been the screaming that had led him to their garden. He had already been making his way there after a guard had informed him of Cube’s arrival, but it was the screaming that had caused him to break into a full run: first his wife’s horrified yells, then their daughter’s pained wails.

 

He had found her collapsed in the garden, Cube trying to comfort her as a nurse tried to console Maggie. He didn’t have to ask what had happened, though a part of him had already assumed, when he saw the shirt. Ripped to shreds with bloodstains speckling its green fabric.

 

Gunberd was dead.

 

He had asked the nurse to take Maggie back to the nursery, and as she hurried out of the garden he tried to lead Yucie away to their room. She wouldn’t move at first, instead clinging to him as she tried to curl into an impossibly tiny ball. He had sent Cube away, asking the guard that had accompanied him to lead the steward to a guest room, and when Cube had left he remained with his wife. Eventually her sobs petered out, and then she merely sat there, staring blankly into some middle distance.

 

“Yucie?” he asked, almost afraid of an answer, and her breath hitched again. She couldn’t answer. He pressed his lips to her temple, rubbed a hand along her back…but she wouldn’t respond. “Yucie, I’m so sorry.”

 

Her breath hitched, a strange sound somewhere between choking and…he kissed her again.

 

“Talk to me, Yucie,” he pleaded, but she couldn’t talk. A keening sound, part groan and part wail, tore from her throat as she pressed herself closer to him. He held her fast, tight, and hiccoughs shook her frame. “Forehead.”

 

“He’s gone, Arc,” she whispered, her voice barely audible and sounding raw. “He’s…oh my gods. He’s…they…”

 

And at the mere thought of what those creatures in the woods had done to her father, she dissolved into sobs again. Fierce, painful, shaking sobs that tore at everything he was. His wife – his brave, strong, fierce wife, Queen of Erlsel – was falling apart in his arms, shattered to a million pieces, and he had no idea how to fit them back together.

 

**Listless**

She could not find the energy today. She was slumped in a chair in Arc’s study, not quite awake but not fully asleep, either. She was staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to life, and for all she knew…it did. She closed her eyes, annoyed at the ridiculousness of the thought, but the annoyance was fleeting. She couldn’t seem to hold onto any one emotion for very long that day. She had felt fine that morning, when she’d woken up to tend to her squalling ten-month-old, but after that…she had amused Maggie for a bit before going about her tasks for the day, and then…her energy had seemed to drain from her. It wasn’t quite exhaustion, but it wasn’t necessarily boredom, either. She had stopped by Arc’s study to see if he could entertain her, but when she found the room empty she had occupied one of the squishy chairs by the fireplace and had proceeded to…zone out.

 

She could go check on Maggie. She hadn’t seen her since lunch. But even that thought seemed a passing fancy, and with a sigh she just slumped further into the chair.

 

What the hell was wrong with her? It was like she just didn’t want to do anything. Just sit there, like…like nothing. She wanted to do nothing. Be nothing. She was…

 

“Yucie? What are you doing in here?”

 

She turned her head slightly to glance at Arc as he entered the room. He gave her a grin as he walked over to her, and her eyes followed him as he knelt before her and leaned his arms on her knees. He propped his head on his arms, and she shivered as his fingers began drawing lazy patterns behind her knee.

 

“I think…I’m bored,” she said. He cocked a brow at her, his grin turning amused.

 

“You think?” he asked, incredulity coloring his tone. She nodded.

 

“I think,” she confirmed. She flopped her head back against the chair. “I just don’t feel like doing anything. I’m bored, I think, and because I’m bored I just…gah. I don’t know. I just don’t want to do anything.”

 

“Then don’t,” he said, and she raised her head again to give him a look. He began moving his fingers again, and her expression turned annoyed. “Or do. It’s up to you. I could provide you with some entertainment…”

 

“Pervert,” she said, jostling her knee to move his hand. He chuckled and leaned up, giving her a quick kiss.

 

“How can I be a pervert when you’re my wife and anything I’m suggesting we’ve done before?” he asked, kissing her again. She nudged him back with her knee and shrugged, sinking back into the chair.

 

“You just are,” she said. “Just like you’re a jerk and an idiot. You’re also a pervert. Can’t change who you are, Arc.”

 

“I suppose I should just be glad you love those parts of me, too?” he asked, placing a kiss on her knee. “Just like I love your stubborn side and large forehead?”

 

“I will kick you, mister,” she said. She paused as he kissed her thigh, slowly moving higher up her leg. “Maybe. If I can get the energy up.”

 

“I’m free for the rest of the afternoon,” he said. She rolled her eyes, her head falling to the side and her gaze landing on the empty fireplace. “We could go take a nap. If you’re feeling that drained.”

 

“I’m not drained,” she said, face scrunching. “I’m just…not motivated to do anything.”

 

“Then come take a nap with me,” he said. He stood, taking her hands in his own and pulling her to her feet. He gave an extra tug, bringing her flush against him, and she gave him a half-hearted glare. “Or just come with me and we’ll find something more enjoyable than bantering here to do.”

 

“Fine,” she said. giving him a half-hearted smile as he led her from his study. “I suppose a nap would be all right…”

**Excited**

Maggie was just over a year when Yucie started presenting symptoms again. It had started similarly, with the nausea and the sleepiness, but at the time a bug had been going around the palace and she had just brushed it off as another case of illness. And then she had missed her cycle, and the illness didn’t lessen, and she started to wonder…

 

She didn’t let Arc know she was visiting the healer at first. She didn’t want to get his hopes of, of course – it could still be a false alarm, after all. She had lost track of the false alarms she had had when they’d first started trying, and she couldn’t bare the idea of getting him excited over nothing. But when the healer confirmed her suspicions, it was a bit harder to quench the hope. She had quickly thanked him and raced from his chambers, eagerly seeking out her husband. She burst into the throne room without a second thought to who could be inside, and Arc leapt to his feet upon her entrance.

 

“Yucie, what on earth…?” he asked, brows furrowed in concern, but instead of answering she just squealed and rushed at him. She pounced upon him with enough force to knock him back into his throne, and she promptly began smothering him with kisses. He finally caught a firm hold on her waist and pushed her back, trying for a stern look but only managing to grin bemusedly at her. “Enough of this, Forehead. What’s gotten into you?”

 

“Majesties?” a hesitant voice asked, and Yucie jumped as she looked behind them to see a young soldier fidgeting uncertainly before the throne. Her face turned scarlet as she realized what she had just done – her mad dash through the palace not escaping her mind – and she buried her face in Arc’s shoulder as he chuckled. “I can come back?”

 

“It’s fine, Bernard,” Arc said. “I’m sure the queen will be leaving in a few moments. If she would just share why she so rudely interrupted our meeting…?”

 

“Oh!” Yucie said, her face lighting in a mad grin again as she looked back to her husband. Leaning close, she whispered into his ear, “I just thought you’d like to know…I’m pregnant. Again.”

 

His eyes widened as his head whipped to the side to stare at her, a goofy grin curling his lips. He asked, “Truly?” Upon her nod, he looked back to Bernard. “Right. Maybe you should come back. Tomorrow. And shut the doors on your way out?”

 

The young soldier blinked dazedly at his royals, but they had already begun kissing again and he was more than a little uncomfortable just kneeling there. He tipped his head and muttered something neither king nor queen caught before racing out the door – but not before he saw his king scoop his wife up and twirl her ‘round, whooping.


	17. ...like it Never Should Have Happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the risk of spoiling plot, this chapter deals with miscarriages in the first two sections. Please skip if that’s a trigger for you; Yucie loses the second baby, and that’s all you need to know to proceed.

**Crushed**

It wasn’t her fault. Above all, he wanted her to remember that. There was nothing she could have done to prevent this. It was just one of those things that unfortunately happen, and not even royalty is spared from Fate’s fickle nature. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t hate her.

 

But she blamed – hated – herself, and it killed him to know that.

 

After the…accident, she had shut down. The healer had left their room, and she had remained in their bed, staring blankly at the balcony doors. Gurenda had been visiting, and after getting her friend to kick them all out she had even barred the Crown Princess of Hell from the room. She had refused admittance to everyone. She wasn’t eating. She…

 

And he couldn’t take it. Damn it all, he was affected, too. It was his child, too. When they had discovered the second pregnancy, they had been ecstatic. As they both came from single-child homes, they had been eager to have many children. Their firstborn, Maggie, was only two, and they had been trying for another for a while. When the pregnancy had been confirmed, the entire kingdom celebrated. The baby was months from its birth, but they had already loved it fiercely. He loved it fiercely.

 

And when they had…when the baby had…he had lost the child, too. He had lost his child, too.

 

“Yucie…” he whispered, finally pushing the door open. She was curled on her side on the bed, staring out the open balcony doors into the winter night. It was freezing in the room, and the first thing he did was move to shut the doors. Why had she…

 

“Leave them,” she whispered, her voice hollow. He paused by a door, his hand hovering over the handle, and looked back at her. She wasn’t looking at him.

 

“Yucie?” he asked.

 

“Leave them,” she said. She curled in tighter on herself, her hands wrapped protectively over the middle that hadn’t had a chance to properly start showing. “I don’t want to…the cold…it…helps.”

 

“I won’t let you make yourself sick on top of everything else, Yucie,” he said fiercely, and he slammed the doors without hesitation and enough force to rattle the glass in its frame. She shrieked and leapt from the bed, bolting over to him to push them open again. He caught her with ease, and she shrieked again.

 

“Open them! Open them!” she shouted, but he shook his head.

 

“No! Yucie, it’s freezing in here – you’re freezing! You’ll make yourself ill!” he told her, but she only shook her head.

 

“I don’t care! I deserve it! I deserve…I…oh my gods…” her words came out in gasps, and he was beginning to fear she’d start hyperventilating when her knees gave way. He caught her easily, and they sunk to the floor in a heap. “I lost him…I lost him…”

 

“We lost him,” he reminded her. He didn’t feel like fighting her use of a pronoun. The baby had been too young to tell a gender, but she had so wanted a son this time…if he was honest, they both had. The look on her face when she turned to him erased such trivial thoughts from his mind.

 

“Arc…I…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she gasped, and the whispers turned into wrenching sobs as she collapsed against him.

 

“You couldn’t…Yucie, you couldn’t control…don’t be sorry,” he said, and the sobs tore at him.

 

“Why don’t you hate me?” she cried, and she pulled away to pound her fists against his chest. “Why don’t you hate me?!”

 

“Yucie, stop! Stop!” he shouted, grabbing her wrists and forcing her hands into his lap. “Yucie, please! I could never hate you, especially for something you had no control over! Yucie, stop – would you look at me?!”

 

He grabbed her face and forced her head his way. He crashed his lips against hers, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut and tried to pull back. He ended the kiss and glared at her.

 

“I don’t hate you,” he said. She looked like she wanted to fight him, but he shook his head. “I don’t. I’m sorry this happened. I’m so sorry, Yucie. I wanted him, too. You know I did. But…this…sometimes, this happens. We can try again, eventually. I’m not going to hate you for this.”

 

“You should,” she spat, and he shook his head.

 

“No, I shouldn’t. Yucie, please. I want my wife back. I’m…I’m not going to be able to handle this without you. I need you, Yucie. I need you here,” he begged, and her face fell under his earnest look.

 

“Arc, I killed our baby,” she said, and he shook his head. She grit her teeth and tried jerking away from him, but he refused. “Stop saying that! I did! He was here, just this morning,” she grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach, and his gut churned at the knowledge, “and now he isn’t! Because I…because I couldn’t carry him! Because…Arc, I killed him! I killed him…”

 

“You didn’t,” he said, pressing his palm against the slight raise on her belly. When sobs hitched her breath again, he crushed her against him and began rocking her back and forth. “You didn’t kill him, Yucie. It was an accident. This happens – you know this. You did nothing to cause it, and nothing could have stopped it. I don’t know why it happened, but…he’s gone, Yucie, and it’s no one’s fault. It’s not your fault. It’s not.”

 

But he knew she wasn’t ready to believe him – not yet. So he sat there with her in front of the balcony doors, holding her until she cried herself to sleep. He carried her to their bed and tucked her in, and he spent the night curled around her. He could only pray she’d be better in the morning, but even as the thought drifted through his exhausted mind he knew that could never be the case. The morning would find them with tears and shouts and probably some broken objects, but whatever it brought them he at least knew it would find them together. It had to.

 

**Grateful**

The past couple of weeks had been traumatic, to say the least. After the mis…after she had…after the baby, Yucie didn’t left their room for a week. He had finally gotten her out, if only to see the healer – and even then it was only because the healer had insisted on some tests he couldn’t administer in their room. The tests had lasted longer than expected, primarily because the healer continued redoing the them to double-check the results. He had been the image of regret and fear when he had told them they would never be able to have another child.

 

Yucie had thanked him, but she had fallen apart as soon as they were back in the safety of their room. She had taken one look at their bed before racing to the adjoined bathroom, where she began throwing up. He had held her hair and rubbed her back, just as he always did when she was ill, and had told her it would be fine. He still loved her. It wasn’t her fault. They had Maggie, and wasn’t that good enough?

 

But she had felt so inadequate, like such a disappointment, and she didn’t want his comfort. She had asked him to leave her, and he had gone straight to their daughter’s room. The two-year-old was taking her nap, the nurse who had been watching her while Yucie recovered sitting in the corner embroidering a handkerchief. When the nurse saw his face, she had immediately inquired after the queen. The two had grown close over the past few years, and he knew she had been worried over his wife since…so he had told her, and she had apologized profusely. He had walked over to Maggie’s bed, and he had brushed a hand through her growing curls as he leaned on the guardrail and watched his sleeping princess. She made a noise and shifted, but she remained asleep. His smile softened as he watched his little one.

 

He would have loved another child. Truly. But…now that he knew that that wasn’t an option, he was determined to keep it from destroying them. They had Maggie. Even if they didn’t, they had each other. He didn’t understand why Yucie couldn’t see that. Why she couldn’t understand that he didn’t think any less of her for this. Why she couldn’t see that he loved her regardless and still considered her the best thing to ever happen to him. He could never hate her.

 

And Maggie…she was young enough to remain mostly unaffected, thank the gods. She would be fine, and she would grow up fine without siblings. They both had, hadn’t they? She was still here, and they were all together. Eventually Yucie would see this, and then they could begin to heal.

 

He didn’t have to convince himself of this. He knew it, believed it. He had no other option but to.

 

**Playful**

The young princess shrieked as she ducked under a branch, fleeing the evil monster trying to catch her. She burst through bushes of bright orange flowers and ran into a clearing, shrieking again as the monster swiped at her skirts. She heard a shout and cheered as the brave knight ran behind her and cut off the monster, holding it back with his sword.

 

“You shall not hurt the princess, foul beast!” the knight shouted, his teal eyes glinting. The princess turned back, matching eyes widening in fear and delight as she saw the knight.

 

“Get him good, Daddy!” she called. The monster waved his claws.

 

“Rawr! I am a terrifying beast, and I gobble up young princesses for lunch!” he shouted, and the princess shrieked and ran back to the pond to let the knight fight off the monster. She was about to cheer for the knight when a new presence called her attention to the entrance of the gar…enchanted forest.

 

“What in the world is going on in here?” asked the newcomer. Standing at the door to the palace was her mother, the queen. Yucie surveyed the scene before her with an amused grin and her hands on her hips. Her five-year-old daughter was cowering by the fish pond in her and Arc’s private garden, and her husband was standing before her old steward – now her daughter’s steward – in a fighting stance. She guessed the stick he was holding was supposed to be a sword. For his part, Cube was dressed up in some sort of floppy monster costume.

 

“Mummy!” Maggie cried, running over to her and jumping into her arms. “Daddy’s saving me from the evil monster!”

 

“…this is so humiliating,” Cube grumbled, ducking his head as Yucie laughed.

 

“He is, is he? The brave king defending his kingdom?” she asked, smiling at her husband. He grinned back at her, and if she wasn’t mistaken he actually preened a little, the fathead.

 

“Nope! Brave knight def…defed…defding the princess! That’s me!” she said, and Yucie laughed as she kissed her daughter’s largish forehead.

 

“Then I shall let the brave knight defend his princess from the evil monster,” she said, placing the girl back on the ground. “Get him good for me, brave knight!”

 

“Will do, fair maiden,” Arc said, sweeping into a bow. He paused mid-bow, then quirked a brow at her. “…well.”

 

She gave him a warning glare, and he smirked before lunging at Cube. Cube gave a startled shriek and ran back through the bushes of sunset brights, all while Maggie cheered them on from her side.

 

**Worried**

The room was dark, a solitary candle glowing steadily beneath a shade on her bedside. She was so still – too still. He leaned forward, elbows resting on knees and mouth pressed to folded hands. Technically, he shouldn’t be here. As the king, he should be as far from her as possible. As her husband…he couldn’t leave her side.

 

The plague had come unexpectedly, as those things do, and had swept through the kingdom. In a matter of weeks half the kingdom had fallen ill, and while some were already on the mend a greater number had succumbed to the illness. They had been under quarantine in the palace, but quarantines can only hold out for so long. Somehow the disease had crept in, and by the time they realized it was too late. Yucie had taken ill a week prior, and her health had quickly deteriorated. The chief healer had begged him to leave her be, to think of his own health and let the healers do their jobs, but he refused to leave her side.

 

She hadn’t woken up in two days. The rise and fall of her chest was slow, her breaths shaky, but it was evidence she was still with him. Her face was scrunched in pain, and a thin layer of perspiration coated her skin. She wasn’t getting better, and he…

 

He reached forward, his hand clasping hers desperately. She was so cold, so pale…

 

“Come back to me, Forehead,” he whispered, begged. She remained unresponsive. He thought of their daughter, the six-year-old safe on the other side of the palace with the rest of those still under quarantine, and wondered if she would be left an orphan by the time the plague had run its course. He brought Yucie’s hand to his lips, brushing her cool skin with a kiss. “Please, Yucie. I can’t do this without you. Come back to me…”

 

**Giggly**

**_Note:_ ** _In honor of the first over-eighty day this spring. Warmer weather, I’ve missed you so~_

 

The winter had been long and hard that year, with cold spells that clung to the land longer than anyone had wanted. Well after the start of the spring season, when the weather should have been turning warmer, the king had walked outside to find a mix of hail and snow falling from the sky. A few days later, he had stepped onto the balcony in his bedroom to find the air warm with the sun shining high in the sky. As the day progressed it had grown warmer, and every day after it had only grown warmer and warmer. It was rejuvenating, and a sort of magical spell had swept over the people. After a long, hard winter, life was returning to the land.

 

Arc’s eyes closed as he leaned back against a tree in the south garden. Yucie had kidnapped both him and Maggie for a picnic, and the contents of their lunch laid half-eaten on an old checkered blanket she had made the year after the Final Scene. She had given it to him on a spring day much like this one, during another picnic she had shanghaied him in to. He smiled, recalling how hopeful she had looked when she had pressed the blanket into his arms.

 

“It’s ours,” she had said, smiling shyly up at him. “It can be our picnic blanket, and someday our kids will use it, and…it’ll be a family tradition. Picnics on the first nice day of spring.”

 

She drug him on a lot of picnics, actually, but she had always made sure they went on a picnic the first warm day of the season. And when Maggie had come along, she had been drug into the mix, too. Speaking of…

 

His eye cracked open as their daughter’s high-pitched giggle cut through the peaceful garden. She was twirling about, chasing bubbles Yucie had pulled out of another basket. She glanced over at him and winked, her lips puckering as she gently blew on the wand, and he rolled his eyes as her giggles joined Maggie’s. Times like this, watching her playing with bubbles and giggling with their daughter, he could still see the young girl she used to be. It was only a ghost, though, and when she would look back at him and give him that look he was all too aware that she was no longer the child (in appearance, at least) he had known.

 

He was torn from his musings as a weight collapsed on his stomach, and he looked down to see Maggie grinning up at him.

 

“Papa, your nose!” she giggled, and he crossed his eyes to see a large bubble precariously hovering on the tip of his nose. Maggie’s pointing finger got a little too close, and he blinked as it popped. Maggie squealed in delight, and his laughter mixed with Yucie’s as he wiped his nose clean. He glanced over at his wife, who shook the bottle of bubble mixture at him.

 

“You did that on purpose,” he said, mock annoyance in his voice, and she giggled as she blew more bubbles their way.

 

“And if I did? Come on, Arc, you’re being boring. Play with us!” she cajoled, and he rolled his eyes as Maggie climbed off him and tugged his arm towards her mother. A moment later and he was twirling around with the little girl, laughing as they danced in the bubbles. When he collapsed in the grass a moment later, breathless with chuckles and joy, Yucie grinned at him.

 

“You’re getting old, majesty,” she said, and he snorted.

 

“I’m barely past thirty. Thirty’s not old,” he huffed, and she giggled again as she leaned down to kiss his cheek.

 

“If you say so,” she quipped, another giggle escaping as she added, “old man.”


	18. ...like Our Baby's Growing Up

**Ecstatic**

“Are you sure she’s ready?” Yucie asked late one night. She was lying on her back, staring up at the canopy of their bed as he sat beside her reading. He glanced over from his book, an eyebrow raised in that way he had, before he looked back to the text.

 

“She’s seven, Yucie,” he said. “I’d say she’s more than ready. Besides, you saw her last time. She was so upset she couldn’t go. Don’t you think it’s about time?”

 

“I suppose. It’s just…” she sighed, her eyes closing as she mulled over what she wanted to say. He closed his book, realizing he wasn’t going to be getting much reading done that night, and set it on the bedside table. He laid down next to her and propped his head against his arm.

 

“It’s just what?” he asked, and she huffed out a breath as she glanced up at him. He had that silly smile on his face – the one that let her know she was being ridiculous and worrying over absolutely nothing. Realistically, she knew she probably was – but that didn’t mean he had to be so smug about it.

 

“It’s her first ball, Arc,” she whispered. She bit her lower lip, suddenly looking nervous. “What if she’s not ready? She’s still so young…”

 

“She was born for this, Yucie,” he said. He leaned down, distracting her with a slow kiss. He pulled away and kissed her nose. “Just as you were – and she’s starting out much earlier than you did. You were brilliant at your first ball. She will be, too.”

 

“You weren’t even at my first ball, Mr. Sneaking Out Every Five Minutes,” she chided, and he chuckled before kissing her again.

 

“That was a practice ball – we both left early, so it didn’t count. The one after the Final Scene? You were the most stunning woman there,” he said. She giggled as he moved his attention to her neck, and she lightly shoved at his chest.

 

“You’re biased,” she said, and he groaned as he flopped back onto the bed.

 

“Gods, woman, will you just stop worrying and let me snog you?” he asked, turning his head to grin at her. She giggled again and grabbed for his hand, locking their fingers together.

 

“You really think she’ll be ok?” she asked, and he brought their hands up to kiss the back of hers.

 

“She’s your daughter, Forehead,” he said. “She can’t be anything less than amazing.”

 

– V –

 

“Mummy! Mummy! Look!”

 

Yucie looked up from the patch of flowers she was tending to in time to see Maggie run up with a frog in her hands. The young princess looked a fright: mud was smeared on her knees and face, and the hem of her tunic was torn with a twig stuck in it. Her shoulder-length hair was sticking at odd angles – something she’d inherited from her father, Yucie thought with a fond smile – and her bright eyes were glowing with pride. Yucie put her trowel down and reached over to run a finger along the ridge between the frog’s eyes. It croaked, and Maggie squealed in delight. For a moment Yucie thought she would drop the poor thing, but she held on and grinned at her mother.

 

“He kept slipping, but I got him! Think Franklin will like him?” she asked, referring to Gurenda and Edmund’s oldest son. Usually, when Yucie was required to throw the state balls, Gurenda would bring Franklin along to keep Maggie company while the parents were busy entertaining nobles. As far as Maggie knew, the two had another play date at the end of the week.

 

Yucie was half tempted to let Maggie keep the frog. She was sure Gurenda would _love_ to see her son bringing a frog home that evening.

 

“Actually, sweetie, I don’t think that’d be the best idea,” she said, taking the frog from Maggie’s hands. She pouted, her lip sticking out farther than necessary, and Yucie smiled at her.

 

“But Mummy! It took me forever to catch him!” she pouted. The pout turned into a frown when her face scrunched up. “And why not? Franklin likes frogs.”

 

“Because you won’t have anywhere to keep him,” Yucie said. “It’s a little hard to dance with a frog in your pocket. Ask your father.”

 

Maggie’s face lit up at the prospect of another story of her father’s childhood shenanigans, but then she realized what her mother had said and asked, “But why would I be dancing?”

 

“Because…” Yucie said. She put the frog down in the flowers, and as he began to hop away she took Maggie’s hands in her own. “Your papa and I were talking, and we think you should come to the ball, too. You and Franklin. What do you think, sweetie?”

 

As soon as the question was asked, Maggie’s grin got even bigger. She began hopping up and down, and Yucie laughed when she jumped into her arms. She was squealing, and when she finally calmed she looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

 

“Really, Mummy? I can really go?” she asked, and Yucie nodded and tapped her nose.

 

“Really,” she said. “You’re old enough now. We thought you’d have fun.”

 

She squealed again and tightened her hug, crying, “Oh, Mummy! You and Papa are the best! I can’t wait – do I get a new dress, too? And Papa will teach me how to dance, right? And –”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – one question at a time, sweetie!” Yucie laughed. She brushed her bangs back and kissed her forehead. “The ball isn’t until the end of the week. You have plenty of time.”

 

But, as Maggie raced away to find Arc, cheering and chattering a mile a minute, Yucie had a feeling the end of the week wouldn’t get here soon enough.

 

**Determined**

When her mama had first told her she would be attending the next ball at the start of the week, Maggie had been nothing but excited. As the end of the week approached, however, Maggie found herself growing more and more frustrated. She couldn’t quite get the hang of that dancing thing, and she stepped on her papa’s feet more often than not. When Franklin had shown up halfway through the week, a result of her mama thinking a dancing partner more her size would help, and he had done nothing but laugh at her the whole time, she had found she maybe didn’t have the temper to attend a formal function, either. In a brilliant display of her mother’s younger years, she chased Franklin through half the palace before tackling him in a mud hole and giving him a black eye. Yucie and Gurenda had not been pleased, but when their backs were turned Arc had given his daughter a high-five for her efforts. Each day that passed found the young princess with one more reason to be anxious over the coming ball, and each day found her with more reason to not want to attend.

 

The night of the ball, she had determined that she would be the perfect example of a little princess. She would not disappoint her parents. They had trusted her to be ready for a big, formal occasion, and she would not let them down. She had been shaking as she entered the ballroom, standing between her parents and clinging to her mama’s hand, but her grandma had told her she had looked a vision of regality. When Maggie had stumbled over the word, Grandma Erlsel had laughed and told her she had looked every bit the confident young princess she was. She had beamed at that, and the rest of the night seemed to go smoothly.

 

Until Franklin had arrived.

 

Franklin was her best friend. And while she normally loved goofing off with him, she was not allowed to goof off tonight. When he spotted her and came rushing over, her hands had tightened on the skirt of her dress as she prepared herself for whatever trouble he was going to cause. He was part demon, after all, and he was a lot like her Auntie Gurenda. A right little devil, her papa liked to call him.

 

“You look all fancy,” Franklin said by way of greeting as he stopped before her. His face crinkled as he inspected her dress. “Too fancy. Can you believe they made us dress up like this?”

 

“I like it,” she said in her most regal voice, which Grandma Erlsel told her was her Princess Voice. Franklin poked her forehead, and her eyes widened at him. “Franklin!”

 

“Too fancy!” he said. “I wanted to play in the garden, but Father said I had to come here. And Mother said if I didn’t behave she’ll burn me to cinders. I don’t wanna be cinders, Mags, but I don’t wanna behave, either.”

 

“Well, you’re gonna have to,” she said. “Our mamas and papas finally trust us to come to these big, fancy parties, and we’re gonna have to be on our best behavior to show we can be adult enough for ‘em.”

 

“But we’re not adults,” Franklin groused. “We’re kids. I wanna be a kid. Come on, Mags, let’s go to the garden.”

 

He grabbed her hand and started dragging her towards the door, and she started swatting at him with her free hand.

 

“Franklin, stop it! I don’t wanna!” she snapped, but he was talking about a frog he thought he saw the last time he was over, and wouldn’t it be cool if they could catch it? She tugged her hand free and slapped him again. “I said I don’t wanna!”

 

“What’s with you? This is boring!” he said.

 

“You just got here! You don’t know!” she argued, and he pointed to the dance floor. No one was dancing. They were just standing around sipping fancy drinks and talking. Boring grown-up stuff, Franklin would say.

 

“It’s just a bunch of boring grown-up stuff, Maggie! I wanna play!” he said. She glared at him and stomped her foot.

 

“And I wanna be a good big girl like Mama said!” she snapped. “And Papa said he’s gonna dance with me, and I don’t wanna get my dress dirty, and –”

 

“You’re such a girl!” Franklin said, pulling a face. “Getting dirty’s fun!”

 

“Well you’re such a boy! I said I don’t wanna!” she argued, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

 

“Girl! Girl! Girl!” he taunted, and her face began to turn red.

 

“Boy! Boy! Boy!” she snapped back, and he grinned.

 

“Yeah, I am! And I can run faster than you, too! You girl!” he teased, and she screamed after him as he took off towards the door.

 

“Franklin! Get back here, you stupid head!” she called, taking off after him.

 

While the guests around them watched their antics in utter disgust, a ballroom away Yucie slumped against a pillar and covered her face in her palms. Gurenda and Arc were laughing beside her, egging each other on as to which child would win the little race, and Edmund was preparing to chase after them. Erlsel walked up next to her successor and smiled at the younger woman.

 

“She’s just like her father at her age,” she said, and Yucie groaned.

 

“I’m so sorry, Erlsel,” she said, and the former queen laughed.

 

“Yucie, dear, these parties need some livening up. It’s about time you four started bringing the children,” she said. Arc grinned at his mother.

 

“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” he said, and Erlsel smiled calmly at her son.

 

“That being said, I expect you to give her a full lecture on why she should not play tag in the ballroom during a formal gathering. As her actions reek of you, my dear son, I expect you to be the one lecturing,” she said, and Yucie bit her lip to hide her smile as the king spluttered at his mother. For her part, the former queen looked back at the dance floor and sighed dreamily. “I do so love a good ball…”

 

**Shocked**

He had been away in a country where beards were a staple for all men. To blend in and not offend his hosts, he had attempted to grow one as well. He figured his father had had a beard and looked fine with it, and as he looked a lot like his father he should look fine, as well. He was advancing in years, as well, and while he wouldn’t say he was ‘old’ he had figured it might be time for a more…distinguished look.

 

Hindsight, he perhaps should have cleared the decision with his wife first. Or at least he should have shaved before returning to the kingdom, get the ok, then grow another.

 

He arrived with Frederik late at night and headed straight for his rooms. He stopped in to check on Maggie, but his ten-year-old princess was already asleep and he didn’t want to wake her. He continued to his rooms to find Yucie at her desk, back to the door, pouring over some reports. She often did that while he was away. She claimed their room was more personal than her study, and it made the time without him easier.

 

He figured she was lost in the report, as she didn’t even look up from the paper she was reading from. He dropped his bag on the floor (again, despite the thud, she did not look up), and crept over behind her chair. He placed his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her, and pressed his lips to her cheek.

 

Thirteen years of royal marriage had seen them with many separations thanks to diplomatic obligations, and each one found them with a reunion where he was enthusiastically greeted by his wife. Never once in all those thirteen years, however, had she ever shrieked – literally screamed bloody murder – upon his return.

 

He stumbled back as she leapt from the chair, turning on him with wide eyes and wielding her pen like a sword. He paused, blinking at her, and she froze as she blinked back. Her arm wavered uncertainly, and even when he arched that eyebrow at her (a default expression for him at times) she didn’t relax. She swallowed and squinted at him.

 

“A-Arc?” she asked. He folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head at her.

 

“Who else would come into our bedroom and kiss you?” he asked. She opened her mouth to undoubtedly shoot back a snippish retort, but she found her mind was drawing blanks and instead crossed her own arms over her chest with a huff.

 

“Someone who doesn’t have a beard!” she snapped. He blinked at her. That was what all this was about? His beard? (Honestly, he had had it for nearly a month now – he had all but forgotten he’d grown the damn thing.) At his flabbergasted look, she turned her head and pouted. “It’s scratchy.”

 

“…Forehead. I haven’t seen you for nearly a month. And you’re going to get picky over a beard?” he asked. When she didn’t respond, he rubbed his palms along his face. “It was a custom. I couldn’t get any work done until I’d grown it. I just forgot to shave it.”

 

She pointed to the bathroom. When his eyebrow rose higher, she said, “Well, there’s the bathroom. Go shave it while I finish this report, then come see me.”

 

“You’re joking,” he said, his mouth dropping in shock as she shook her head. “Yucie!”

 

“No way you’re coming anywhere near me with that thing,” she said. Her face scrunched. “It’d be like kissing my father. It’s scratchy. I don’t like it.”

 

“But…” he started, and she shook her head. He took a step closer, and she retreated another two. “Be reasonable, woman!”

 

“I am! Go shave!” she said. He growled at her, and she cocked her own eyebrow. He pounced on her and pushed her against a post on their bed. She squeaked as he pressed against her, and she bit her lip as she tried to push him back. “Arc! Cut it out!”

 

“I have not seen you for a month, and you’re going to make me shave before you greet me properly? I don’t think so, Forehead. You are going to kiss your husband,” he said, and she grinned at him in a rather defiant manner.

 

“Not while my husband has this rather terrifying amount of scratchy facial hair,” she said. She lifted a hand and made a show of hesitantly poking his beard. He rolled his eyes and caught her hand, turning his head to kiss her palm.

 

“I need to kiss you,” he said. “Beard be damned. Are you really going to force me to shave first?”

 

She considered him for a moment, during which she ran her fingers along the beard experimentally. He waited patiently, an expectant look in his eyes, until she lifted her other hand and held his face, her thumb rubbing along his lips. He waited for her to make the move, despite his desire to throw her on the bed. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, and he again fought the desire to angle his head to kiss her properly. After a moment she slid her lips fully onto his, pulling him close as she kissed him like he’d been wanting her to. A strangled sound similar to a moan rose in his throat as his hands slid around her hips and under her rear, and the moan turned into a whine as she pulled back. She sat on the bed and leaned back, tugging him after her, and he chuckled as he all too willingly moved over her.

 

“I thought you wanted me to shave? Something about not liking the beard and kissing your father?” he asked, and a breathy laugh escaped her as he began kissing her neck.

 

“It was just a bit of a shock, is all,” she said. “I barely recognized you with all that extra hair. Oh, gods, there.”

 

He hummed and nipped at her collarbone, and he grinned as he opened his mouth to comment again. She pulled his face back towards hers and gave him a semi-threatening glare.

 

“If you have any inclination towards a proper welcome home, you will kindly stuff it and accept my lapse in judgment before I make you march into that bathroom and shave it off right now,” she said, and he laughed boisterously as she shoved at him. He rolled onto his back, and the laughter abruptly stopped as she climbed atop him and snogged him properly. Thirteen years of marriage, and she would never stop shocking him.

 

**Pensive**

Yucie quietly hummed a tune as she ran the brush through Maggie’s hair. The seventeen-year-old princess knelt on the grass before her, embroidering something on a cream-colored handkerchief. She hummed along with her mother as the queen worked on her long, midnight-colored hair. The dark locks weren’t quite as long as her own, only falling to the middle of the girl’s back, but it was a feature obviously inherited from the queen in color and texture – along with the large forehead it was attached to. Arc had been ecstatic when he saw she had inherited his favorite feature of her mother’s, though Yucie had been less than thrilled.

 

But she had also inherited her father’s aqua eyes, which Yucie noticed were currently glazed over in a way that let the queen know her daughter’s mind was miles away from the needlework in her hands. Yucie paused as she placed the brush on the bench beside her. She smiled slightly as she considered the look on Maggie’s face. It was all too familiar: it was a look she frequently donned when she thought of the king.

 

The thought was enough to cause a twinge at the idea that Maggie was now old enough to wear such looks. She remembered staying up all night while the baby princess squalled. She remembered Maggie running through this same garden with Cube, playing games of make-believe where Cube usually starred as the villainous beast. It was hard to think of that same little girl as the young woman before her, and it was even harder to think of that same little girl wearing the look that said she was clearly smitten by some young man.

 

She gathered Maggie’s hair in her hands and began making plaits, smiling softly as she wondered who the lucky guy could be. Maggie hadn’t said anything yet, but – as her mother – she had her suspicions. Her smile grew slightly as Maggie sighed blissfully.

 

One thing was for sure: Arc was not going to be happy when he caught on to this.

 

**Grumpy**

Arc stood amidst three nobles, all chattering amicably about the economy, the coming harvest, their children…things nobility spoke of over swirling drinks at those fancy balls his mother used to love to throw before she had stepped down from the throne. Now it was Yucie who liked to throw them. (Well, Yucie didn’t like to throw them, per se. She felt it more a royal obligation, and if not for court protocol she would always be the first out the door.)

 

He found his wandering mind pulled back to the conversation as Edmund began laughing and nudged his arm. The Demon King nodded towards the dance floor, where his son Franklin was twirling Maggie around. Arc’s eyes narrowed at the young man, who was by all means respectable – if not for the fact that he’d been a bit too comfortable around his daughter as of late. Edmund, on the other hand, seemed pleased as punch at this development.

 

“Oh, look at them, would you? They make a fine couple, don’t you think?” Edmund asked.

 

“No,” Arc grunted out without thinking. At Edmund’s surprised look, he shrugged. “That is…of course?”

 

“You don’t sound so sure,” Edmund said, seeming displeased. “And what, pray tell, is the matter with them together? Franklin’s a fine boy.”

 

“That’s the problem,” Arc muttered, sipping his drink. “He’s a boy.”

 

“You’d rather Maggie take after her aunts?” Edmund asked, confused, and Arc choked on the sip he’d just taken. Edmund laughed and clapped his back, but he scowled in return. “Jesting, my man. Jesting.”

 

“I wouldn’t be any more comfortable with the lout if he was a girl,” he snapped, and Edmund gave him a pointed look.

 

“That ‘lout’, as you put it, is my son,” he said.

 

“Who is dancing a little too close to my daughter,” Arc quipped. He sighed and looked back at the couple. “It’s just…she’s growing up. I still can’t believe she’s at marrying age already. I don’t think I’m ready for that, Edmund.”

 

“It doesn’t matter whether or not you are, Aero,” Edmund said. He beamed at them. “She’s the one who must be ready, and from the looks of things – and what my Franklin tells me – she most certainly is. Would you deny her happiness?”

 

“Can’t she put her happiness off a few more years? Her mother didn’t marry until she was twenty,” Arc grumbled.

 

“Her mother was also under a curse that made her unable to marry at the usual age,” Edmund pointed out. Arc snorted, bristling when he saw Franklin lean in to whisper something in Maggie’s ear. His daughter giggled, smiling brightly at whatever the prince said. Arc scowled.

 

“I still don’t like it,” he groused.


	19. ...like We're in This for the Long Haul

**Cynical**

“Well, I hope you’re happy,” he heard his wife say, and his only response was to grumble into his snifter. No, if she had to know, he bloody well was not. He heard her huff, and he imagined she was pouting with her arms crossed over her chest. That was her ‘pouting with her arms crossed over her chest’ huff. “You made a royal ass of yourself at the reception, leaving everyone – including your own daughter – to believe you disapproved of the marriage.”

 

Good. He did.

 

“You gave your best friend a black eye, and you let your daughter and new son-in-law leave for their honeymoon without wishing them well. If you were trying to make Maggie think you hate her, you’ve done a damn good job. Congratulations, Aero,” Yucie continued, and the list of his grievances only caused a slight twinge of regret in him. He never wanted Maggie to think he hated her. Franklin, on the other hand…

 

“Edmund has a black eye?” he asked, giving his drink a bitter grin. Yucie huffed again, and he would bet his life that she rolled her eyes as well.

 

“What’s the matter with you? This was supposed to be Maggie’s big day. Why’d you have to be such an asshole?” she asked. He sighed as he downed his drink.

 

“She wasn’t supposed to grow up so fast, Forehead,” he said. She had no scathing remark to shoot at him, so he continued. “How did she get so big? When did we get so old? She’s married now, and she doesn’t need us anymore. Doesn’t need me anymore.”

 

“Oh, Aero, that’s ridiculous,” she said, and she wrapped her arms ‘round his middle, leaned on his back, and rested her head on his shoulder. “She’ll always need you. You’re her daddy.”

 

“The daddy who willingly gave her away to the Prince of the Demon World earlier this day,” he quipped, and he heard his wife snort.

 

“Willingly?” she queried, and he shrugged.

 

“Well, almost willingly,” he conceded, and she kissed his shoulder. So what if he had started to read Franklin the riot act and Yucie had had to stop him by chucking a hymnal at the back of his head? “It felt like Franklin was a highwayman pointing his sword at my neck and demanding I hand over the most precious thing in the world, and I did so with a smile.”

 

“You looked pained the entire evening,” Yucie reminded him.

 

“I was pained the entire evening,” he said, and Yucie pressed a hand to his shoulder to make him turn. He spun around on the stool, and she placed both hands to his cheeks.

 

“She’s grown up, Aero,” she said, her voice soft, “but that doesn’t mean you’re suddenly irrelevant to her. We’ll always be her parents, and she will always need us, but you have to let her go live her life. Just like my daddy had to let me go. Did you see him acting like such a baby during our wedding?”

 

“To be honest, I wasn’t paying Gunberd much attention at all during our wedding, Yucie. I was…otherwise preoccupied,” he confessed, and Yucie laughed.

 

“You’re incorrigible,” she chided, but she willingly stepped into his offered embrace and let him hold her tight.

 

“You wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. She hummed, nuzzling close to him.

 

“Franklin makes her happy, and isn’t that all we ever wanted for her?” she asked. He sighed and glanced back at his empty drink.

 

“I suppose…” he grumbled. She laughed and nudged his arm.

 

“Just like you make me happy,” she said. She glanced up at him. “In fact, I do believe the last of the guests have made their way out. Why don’t you come with me and remind me how happy you make me?”

 

He cocked an eyebrow at her, recognizing that spark in her eye and the unmistakable intent of her words. He allowed her to pull him from his stool, and he followed her in a sort of daze back to their room. As she went to lay on the bed, pulling him down with her, he gave her an annoyed look.

 

“He better not make her happy _just_ like I make you happy,” he groused, and then he was swallowed in the sound of his wife’s laughter and the swell of unmistakable joy the rest of the night.

 

**Morose**

“Do you think this is how Papa felt when I married you?” Yucie asked at breakfast the morning after Franklin and Maggie’s wedding. Her elbow was resting on the table, her head propped on her hand, as she listlessly pushed her eggs around her plate. She was staring at the empty seat that, until that morning, Maggie usually occupied. Arc looked up from the paper he was reading and lifted a brow at her.

 

“Pardon?” he asked, and she sighed as she put her fork down.

 

“It’s too quiet,” she said. “I miss her.”

 

“Yucie, they’re on their honeymoon,” he said with a smile. “They’ll be back in a month. Besides, all children grow up, get married, and leave home. It’s what they do.”

 

“You didn’t,” she said, and he rolled his eyes.

 

“Circumstances. I was the Crown Prince. It was expected I take over the throne,” he said. “You left home.”

 

“So again I ask: do you think this is how Papa felt when we got married and I left him?” she asked, and her question was accompanied by a pointed look. He put the document down and reached over to grab her hand.

 

“Yucie, all parents go through this when their children strike out on their own. You have the benefit of being the mother of a princess, however, so your child will be staying a bit closer to home. She’s only gone for a month, and then she’ll be back. Think of it like all those diplomatic trips I’ve had to take through the years,” he said, rubbing her hand with his thumb in what he knew was a reassuring manner.

 

“I hated those trips,” she whined as she slumped in her chair, “and I hate this! I miss my daughter!”

 

“You are ridiculous,” he said, shaking his head.

 

“You’re one to talk,” she groused, and he rolled his eyes again. He pushed his chair out and tugged her hand, pulling her out of her seat and into his lap. She squeaked in surprise, her arms immediately wrapping around his shoulders to steady herself. He chuckled as he steadied her, and she frowned at him. “Not funny!”

 

“Yucie, she’ll be home soon enough. She’s an adult now. I don’t like it, either, but it’s just how it is. Everyone grows up,” he said, and when she opened her mouth to protest he added: “Circumstances. Even you grew up eventually.”

 

She cast another forlorn look to Maggie’s empty seat, and he sighed. He brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her palm.

 

“Look at it this way. She has a month’s vacation to enjoy her new husband, and we have a month’s vacation – completely daughter-free – to enjoy each other,” he said. She looked back at him, her eyebrows raised as an amused smile quirked her lips.

 

“Just what are you proposing, my king?” she asked, and he smirked at her.

 

“How about a ride? I seem to recall a certain cave we haven’t visited in a while…” he trailed off, twirling a bit of her hair around his finger, and she gasped.

 

“You dirty old man!” she chided, but she looked entirely too pleased by the idea to properly scold him. He chuckled as he pulled her down for a proper kiss.

 

“Spend the day with me,” he said. “Just us. No matters of state. No kids. Just you and me, out of the palace, having an adventure like we used to before we got old and boring.”

 

She smiled as she linked her fingers with his own, pressing their palms together before bending down for another kiss. She pulled away, her lips ghosting over his own as she asked, “When do we leave?”

 

**Accomplished**

Where Yucie had failed to provide her husband with more than one heir, the heir she had produced had done more than her fair share of producing. Maggie had turned out to be a wonderful mother, and she had liked the role so much she was currently pregnant with her fifth (granted, three and four had been twins). On that particular day, Yucie found herself babysitting as Franklin whisked Maggie away for some much needed rest before the next baby’s delivery. She was in the garden, sitting by the pond as her oldest grandchildren – the five-year-old Crown Prince and his four-year-old sister – ran about in a game of tag. The twins, just over two, sat one on her lap and the other by her feet. The girl in her lap was napping, and her brother was playing with the ducks.

 

She smiled as a duckling quacked at him and he quacked back. It nipped at his hand, and he giggled and waggled his hand at it again, causing another quack.

 

“Don’t torment the poor thing, Terrence,” she chided. He grinned up at her, his baby teeth crooked, and she smiled endearingly. She jumped when the toddler suddenly turned back to the duckling and shot a small spark of fire at its tail. It quacked indignantly and waddled away from him as fast as it could. Once it had safely reached the pond, it continued to quack noisily at the toddler. True to his heritage, he sat laughing gleefully at the scene.

 

“Terrence!” she scolded. She glanced behind her as a snorting chuckle reached her ears.

 

“I told you we never should have let Maggie marry Gurenda’s son,” her husband said. He bent down to kiss her forehead in greeting, and she rolled her eyes.

 

“Never a dull moment when you have blood possessing the Demon Queen’s ‘fantastic magical powers’ in you,” she quipped, and Arc laughed again before taking a seat next to her. He bent down and scooped Terrence into his lap before he poked the toddler’s stomach.

 

“You, mister. Was that very nice, setting the duck on fire?” he asked.

 

“Yes!” the toddler cheered, and Arc rolled his eyes.

 

“Granny Gurenda might let you get away with it, but no setting things on fire here. It’s not safe,” he said. Yucie smirked at his nickname for Gurenda. Their spirited friend would skin him alive if she ever caught him calling her ‘granny’, and it was only a matter of time before one of the grandkids let it slip. Still, despite her warnings, Arc had persisted. The two had an…interesting relationship like that. It was almost as volatile as his relationship with Edmund, though Yucie often found Edmund and herself playing peacemakers when the barbs between their significant others grew especially sharp.

 

Thinking back on how the two had started, she was amazed at the family they had managed to form. Between Arc’s initial hesitance about Edmund and Gurenda’s violent personality, she was amazed things had worked out as well as they had. Despite his parent’s eccentricities, Franklin had turned out blessedly normal, and he had made a wonderful match for Maggie. Gurenda had gone nuts over the idea, loving that their kids would end up a happy family, though Arc had taken some convincing. That had caused another violent row, but things had worked out. Looking down to the sleeping toddler in her arms, she smiled softly. Yes, things had definitely worked out.

 

“What’re you thinking about?” Arc asked, and she jumped when she felt his head resting on her shoulder. Terrence was back on the ground, now running about with his older siblings a safe distance from the irritated duck.

 

“Just life,” she said, and he hummed as he wrapped an arm around her and tucked her against his side. He smoothed down their granddaughter’s reddish fuzz with his free hand, and she squirmed in her sleep. “Don’t wake her, Arc.”

 

“I’m not,” he protested, but that wasn’t the first time she’d heard those words. She remembered all too well the times he’d unintentionally woken Maggie after she had just gotten her to sleep. “What about life?”

 

“Hmmm?” she hummed, not really following his train of thought, and he kissed her shoulder.

 

“You said you were thinking about life. What about life?” he asked again, and she smiled as she shifted her granddaughter.

 

“Just life,” she said, “and…well, how well it all worked out. Arc…do you ever regret not being able to have more?”

 

“Yucie, stop it,” he said, and she could hear the argument simmering just under his voice. It was an old one they didn’t really visit anymore, but she remembered the days shortly after the miscarriage when he’d screamed himself raw over it. “You know I’ve always been happy just for you and Maggie. You know you were always enough for me.”

 

“I know that, Aero,” she said, turning to face him. “I know. I just…it doesn’t really matter.”

 

“Obviously it does, or you wouldn’t still be bringing it up after all this time,” he commented.

 

“It doesn’t, Aero. Not really. Everything worked out really well, didn’t it? I wouldn’t trade that for the world, so why be upset over it? Like I said: it doesn’t matter,” she said. She looked up at him, a content smile on her face. “I love you, you know, and I’m proud of our family.”

 

“You little fool,” he chided, the old insult endearing. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, and she smiled as his lips lingered against her skin. “I love you, Forehead.”

 

“It’s been a good life, hasn’t it?” she asked, looking back to Theresa, who was nestled comfortably between them. Arc hummed and rested his forehead against her own.

 

“Mmhmm,” he said. “It’s been a very good life.”

 

**Depressed**

Getting old, the king decided, was no fun. No, it was no fun at all, and the proof of that was glaring at him in the mirror. Like most things related to time, it was something that had come slowly. It wasn’t like he had just woken up one morning and noticed it. But as more time had passed, he had realized it was getting worse. It had probably started sometime after Maggie had married Franklin. Maybe after his oldest grandson’s birth. Whenever it began, he could now clearly see its results: his hair, once full and thick and golden, was fading as it slunk towards the back of his head.

 

He wouldn’t exactly call himself a vain man, but…well, it stung a little – ok, more than a little – to realize he was…ugh… _balding_. Just the word made his stomach curl. His hand came up and rubbed against his chin as a thoughtful look crossed his face. Maybe…Yucie hadn’t really been crazy about the beard when he’d tried it before, but maybe now it wouldn’t look so bad? He could say his hair was migrating.

 

“If you rub it, more will fall out,” came a quip from his side, and he glanced at Yucie with an exasperated look.

 

“Are your comments really necessary?” he asked, and she laughed as she hopped up onto the counter. She reached up and brushed a hand through his hair, and he sighed as he looked back at his reflection. “I used to have really great hair.”

 

“Oh, stop it,” she said, patting his – ugh – bald spot. “I like it. It makes you look…distinguished.”

 

“You’re just saying that because you’re my wife,” he groused, and she rolled her eyes.

 

“Contrariwise, I’m saying it not because I’m your wife and I have to but because I’m your wife and don’t have to give a damn about it anymore. I think by this point we’re stuck with each other, gray hair – or lack of it – and all. Isn’t that a wonderful thought?” she asked, and he frowned.

 

“You make it sound like a punishment,” he said, sighing again, and she grabbed his hand to pull him closer.

 

“Do you see being stuck with me as a punishment?” she asked. He paused a second, giving her a look over, before shaking his head.

 

“Never,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. She tilted her head and caught his lips with her own, drawing out the kiss. He smiled as he pulled away – and then he caught sight of his reflection again. “Geeze, I do miss my hair, though. Maybe I should grow my beard back out?”

 

“Hmm…maybe. Before it made you look too hairy, but it might be all right now,” she said.

 

“You’re just trying to make me feel better,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

 

“I’m your wife, aren’t I? It’s my job to make you feel better,” she said. She grinned as she leaned in to his ear. “Or, really, I just think you’ll look ridiculous and want a good laugh. Either way, it’s up to you.”

 

She pecked his cheek, hopped off the counter, and walked out of the bathroom. He gawked after her, catching the wink and kiss she threw him like an arrow to the heart, and turned back to the mirror. He rubbed his chin again, imagining himself with a full-grown beard, and groaned.

 

“I hate getting old!”

 

**Bored**

Some days, she yearned for the days of her youth. She longed for the part-time jobs that would run her ragged, the sparring sessions with the rambunctious princess of hell, the mischievous adventures that led to tight spots Aero and she would always find themselves in. Getting old was, quite frankly, boring, and the older she got the worse it was. Maggie and Franklin had assumed control of the throne years ago, and her grandchildren had long since grown and moved on to provinces of their own. Quite simply, there was nothing to do.

 

And her humdrum husband didn’t help matters any.

 

She pushed out a breath, her head resting on her arms. Arc was sitting in his favorite chair, balding head cushioned by the halo of hair that hadn’t managed to completely fall out yet, snoring softly as he took his afternoon nap. A book laid open in his lap, and the fire beside the chair was burning low. She had her arms propped against the arm of the chair, and she was on her knees beside him. She understood that he was old and needed his rest, but did he really need so much of it? She was bored!

 

She poked his stomach, and though his snore turned into a startled snort he slept on. She frowned and poked him again, harder, and his hand shot up with reflexes honed from years in battle to grip her wiggling fingers. He blearily cracked an eye, an unamused look turning his face, and she grinned at him.

 

“Can’t an old man get his rest?” he asked, and she shook her head.

 

“I’m bored,” she said. “Want to go for a ride? We can pop down the old zipline, grab some horses from the stables, and be out before Maggie’s any wiser.”

 

She briefly wondered when her daughter had become her babysitter, but she quickly shoved the notion aside as she waited for his answer. He closed his eyes and settled more comfortably in his chair.

 

“We haven’t used the zipline in years,” he said, “and if we do now we’re sure to break something. And you on a horse? I shudder to think of the hell you’ll raise, if you don’t kill yourself first.”

 

“Aero!” she whined, shaking him slightly. “Then do something with me! I’m bored, and all you’re doing is sleeping! Come on – there has to be some kind of trouble we can get up to!”

 

“You are worse than Gurenda,” he said. “I’m tired, Forehead. Why don’t you see if Maggie will go with you? Besides, is that a storm I hear? Maybe a nice stroll in the garden will be more your speed.”

 

“More my speed?” she asked, her jaw dropping. “How dare you! I’ll show you speed!”

 

The air left him in a huff as she plopped herself on his lap, and he laughed as he grabbed at the hands that were trying to tickle him. He held them apart, grinning at her.

 

“You’re worse now than you ever were in your youth, Forehead,” he said. “What’s gotten into you, trying to start a tickle fight at your age?”

 

“I’ve still got some fire,” she said indignantly, but she was smiling at him. “None of this ‘roll over and die’ stuff for me, thank you. I’m just as useful now as I was twenty years ago.”

 

“You weren’t as ornery twenty years ago,” he pointed out, and she scoffed at him. He pulled her into his arms and sighed, rubbing her back. “I’m tired, Yucie. I’ll raise hell with you later, but sleep with me first? I just don’t have the energy I used to.”

 

“You can use mine,” she said, looking up at him, “but if you insist. You’re still the most comfortable pillow in the castle.”

 

“You’ve lost your mind,” he chided, and she giggled at him as she snuggled closer.

 

“Maybe a nap won’t be quite so bad,” she said. “But tomorrow? We’ve been cooped up here for weeks. I want to get out. Maybe we can go see Drago-sama?”

 

“Tomorrow, Yucie,” he said. “For now, just rest.”


	20. ...like This is the End, at least for Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, amigos. This is the end. Feels appropriate that the final chapter is getting posted shortly after grad, given this was kind of my college de-stress project? I suppose I should warn for character death, but given it’s the end I think it’s kind of assumed. Enjoy, all!

**Energetic**

“You know, Yucie, I do believe I’m almost at the end of my road,” the Prince Consort of the Demon World breathed in a raspy chuckle. The seventy-eight-year-old Queen of Erlsel reached over and clasped his hand, squeezing it slightly. Edmund’s only response to the gesture was a brief fluttering of his fingers. His milky eyes, which had long ago lost any use, stayed fixed on the ceiling.

 

“You old coot,” Yucie chided. “Stop talking nonsense.”

 

“I’m old, Yucie. It’s not nonsense,” he wheezed. He had been ill for days, the most recent in a string of illnesses that had plagued him the past year, but this time it seemed a recovery was not in sight. Gurenda had been…well. She had been handling it as best she could, which was part of what had prompted Yucie’s sudden visit.

 

It was simply a fact of life that as you got older you no longer possessed the energy or health of your youth. For humans like Edmund and Yucie, that fact was realized much sooner than their friends. Erumina, being a citizen of heaven, had an eternity to look forward to. Births were rare and deaths rarer among her people, and she had never fully understood the frailty of human life. Beth wasn’t quite as bad, but the Fair Folk still had a greatly extended lifespan that left her still looking like she was in her twenties, even after nearly eight decades of life. The Spirit folk were a bit different, having two forms of life: their corporeal and spiritual. Their physical life only lasted about twenty years or so, a fact so standard among their people that Kokoru had never thought to tell them about it. She had caused quite a stir when she had suddenly dropped ‘dead’ in the middle of her twenty-eighth birthday. Her Spirit had risen from her body moments later to ask Beth why she was screaming at her like that.

 

And then there was Gurenda. As a demon, she was guaranteed millennia of life – and she was barely into her first century. She most likely wouldn’t even assume the throne of the Demon World for another century or two, as her parents still had years of rule left in them. Still, out of all of them, she possibly understood the effervescence of human life best. She had fallen in love with a human, and now – just six decades into their life together – he was leaving her for death. While they had all had to watch Yucie age much faster than the rest of them, she had had to watch Edmund wither away. It wasn’t quite the same when it was your life love and not a best friend. Both were equally traumatic, but not the same.

 

“You watch over Gurenda for me, will you?” he asked. “As long as you’re able. She’ll be fine, but still.”

 

“She will not be,” Yucie argued. “She loves you, Edmund. She will not be fine if you die on her.”

 

“She’s a demon, Yucie,” Edmund said with a wheezing laugh. “She knew this was the reality when she married me. We both did.”

 

“Nobody thinks of the reality when they’re young and in love,” Yucie chided, and Edmund nodded.

 

“And she is still young, while I am so very old,” he said. “She won’t handle it well at first, but she will heal. Move on. Marry some nice demon man and have lots of demon babies to assume the throne after she’s gone. Did you know she’s not the rightful heir?”

 

“What?” she gasped. The news was certainly a surprise to her.

 

“Did she ever tell you how she knew Cube? He’s her older brother,” Edmund said with another wheezing laugh. Yucie’s eyes widened.

 

“No. No way!” she gasped, and he laughed again.

 

“When the war with the Human World broke out, he sympathized with our kind. He took after their father too much, and it infuriated the Demon Queen. She disowned and exiled him. When he says he had a thousand years as a ‘steward’? He means a steward to their people, before his mother kicked him out. He should be king after their father, but as things are Gurenda will assume the throne,” Edmund said. Yucie slumped back in her seat, unable to comprehend what he was telling her.

 

“But…he’s been with my family my entire life! He never said anything!” she protested, and Edmund smiled.

 

“It’s a sore subject. I doubt Gurenda even knows,” he said, and when Yucie went to question him he shook his head. “She was born so much later, as a way to replace him I think. I only know because the Demon King got drunk one night and confided in me. He doesn’t want Gurenda to know, what with how her mother is. The Demon Queen raised Gurenda to believe Cube was a traitor of the highest order. Nothing but hate has been planted there by the Queen.”

 

“I can’t believe it,” Yucie said. “That’s…oh my gods.”

 

“The demon women are so violent, Yucie. So full of anger and rage and hate. I don’t want Gurenda’s darker tendencies to take hold because of my death,” Edmund said. “Promise you’ll watch after her as long as you’re able.”

 

“I will, but enough of this. You’re not dying, Edmund,” she said. He chuckled.

 

“I think I am, my Queen,” he said. “I think any life that was left in me…it’s long run its course.”

 

“It’s just your age talking,” Yucie argued. “You’ve got many years left.”

 

“Easy for you to say. I’m older than you, Yucie. But enough of this. I’ve no energy left, and certainly none to spare to fight with you over the inevitable,” he said. “Thank you for…”

 

His words were lost in a coughing fit, and Yucie squeezed his free hand again. When he settled, his breath was raspier than before. “For seeing me,” he finished. “I am so grateful to see you one last time.”

 

“I will hurt you if you keep talking like this, Edmund,” she threatened, and though he could not see the tears in her eyes he could hear them in her voice. He smiled weakly. “I mean it.”

 

“Oh, my Queen. Perhaps it is not just the demon women who are so violent,” he joked, and she gave a watery laugh as she wiped her eyes. “If you don’t mind…I think I shall rest now. Goodnight, Yucie.”

 

His eyes shut, and she watched in desperate silence as his breathing evened out and then stopped all together. She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, trying to hold back the tears. She leaned over and kissed his cooling forehead.

 

“Goodnight,” she said, “old friend.”

 

**Pessimistic**

_And it feels like dying, but still your heart beats…_

“Sky High Honey” – Matt Nathanson

 

It rained the day they buried Edmund Cunningham, Prince Consort of the Demon World. It seemed appropriate, given the circumstances, but it felt wrong. He had never been one for rain, and as the gravedigger laid him in the ground Yucie couldn’t help but think how the weather should reflect that infectious smile of his. Maybe that twinkle that was always dancing in his eye. But on that day, Gurenda couldn’t stop crying, and it seemed the heavens were determined to agree with her.

 

“You’ll be next, you know,” the Crown Princess of Hell said. Her voice was slurred with grief and drink, but Yucie heard her plain as day. She tilted her head to the side as she considered her friend.

 

“What do you mean, Gurenda?” she asked, and Gurenda let out a bitter chuckle.

 

“You, brat. You’re gonna be next. It’s gonna piss me the hell off, too. What the hell do you humans think you’re doing, being so damned mortal?” she lifted her head off the table and glared at Yucie. For her part, the human seemed nonplussed. She knew it was her pain talking, and she wouldn’t begrudge her friend for words spoken out of mourning.

 

“We don’t really have a choice in the matter,” she said instead, and Gurenda screamed as she threw her glass at the wall. Yucie barely flinched as it shattered.

 

“But I did! I chose him, damn it, and he…he…” her voice caught, and Yucie moved to sit beside her as she crumbled into sobs. The princess collapsed on her, and Yucie rubbed Gurenda’s back as she rocked her back and forth. “Oh, gods, Yucie, it hurts. It fucking hurts!”

 

“I know, Gurenda,” Yucie soothed. “I know.”

 

“Why did I ever get involved with you stupid humans?! Why did I…I want him back! He wasn’t supposed to…and next you’ll…I can’t lose you, too, Yucie! I can’t!” Gurenda choked the words out through her tears, and Yucie held her closer.

 

“You will, though, but I promise it won’t be today,” she said. Gurenda groaned, curling in on herself, and Yucie smoothed the fabric of her dress over her back. “Just like I lost Papa, and Arc lost Queen Erlsel, and eventually I’ll lose Arc. It’s what happens with us humans, sweetie, but we’re never really gone. You’ll carry our memory with you, and we’ll live on through you. And someday, you’ll see us again.”

 

“But I want him now. I need him now,” Gurenda whispered, her voice so very small and scared. It was a complete contradiction to the powerful demon she was, and Yucie hated it. “It’s all a load of bull. It’s all so much bull…”

 

“It will get better, Gurenda. Give it time,” Yucie said, but Gurenda shook her head.

 

“I don’t want time,” she said. “I want Edmund.”

 

“You can’t have him anymore, sweetie,” Yucie said, and Gurenda’s hand fisted in her dress.

 

“Don’t leave me alone, Yucie,” she whispered, begged, and Yucie sighed as she placed a kiss on her temple.

 

“I have no intention of doing that,” she said. “I’ll stay with you tonight.”

 

They spent most of the rest of the night on that floor, Gurenda curled up in her best friend’s lap as she mourned. Yucie never left her side, but they both knew that was something that wouldn’t last forever. They both knew, as Edmund had proved merely days before, it couldn’t.

 

**Lethargic**

She could barely keep her eyes open. The exhaustion had swept over her like a wave knocking her feet out from under her, and she had found herself unable to leave her bed that day. Arc had briefly questioned her, but she had waved him away and convinced him she just needed some rest. Some days were just like that, weren’t they? You overworked yourself, and you needed a day of sleep to recover. He had bought it, laughing as he quipped about the horse riding she wanted to do not that long ago, and had she been feeling up to it she would have kicked him as he made his way out of the room.

 

The next day hadn’t been much better, nor the day after that.

 

Soon a week had passed with the former queen barely having the energy to stay up for more than ten minutes at a time.

 

“I’m fine,” she whispered on the morning of the eighth day. “Just a little tired, s’all.”

 

“There’s tired and there’s this,” Arc said, brushing her hair back from her face. “You haven’t been out of bed in a week.”

 

“I’m just tired.” she said. “I’ll be fine in…just need sleep.”

 

So she slept, and he stayed by her side, but another week passed. And another. And then…

**Melancholy**

_Who’s to say that fortune grieves him while the star of hope she leaves him?_

_Me, no cheerful twinkle lights me – dark despair around benights me._

_Fare thee well, thou first and fairest. Fare thee well, thou best and dearest._

_Thine be ilka joy and treasure, peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure._

_Ae fond kiss, and then we sever. Ae farewell, alas, forever…_

“Ae Fond Kiss” – Karan Casey

 

The flowers were drooping. He hadn’t been well the past few days, and he had been unable to come tend to them. Maggie usually would have taken over the responsibility, but she had been ill with a stomach bug that was circulating the palace. Franklin had also been ill, and the servants never came to this place. Since the garden’s construction upon his wedding, no one but the royal family tended its blooms. It was an unofficial sort of rule, as they had never actually come out to say so. Yucie had just assumed the responsibility, claiming she loved digging around in the dirt every now and then. It had reminded her of her roots, and she had loved that nod towards her farm girl past. As Maggie grew, Yucie had passed the responsibility on to her – though the queen still did the majority of the work, even in her old age. Upon her death, he had taken over, but there were some days where the pains of age wouldn’t permit his green thumb its tending.

 

The past few days had been like that. While the current ruling monarchs had been set back with stomach viruses, and their children were either away or off ruling in other kingdoms, he had just been old. The thought brought a smile to his face. Well, at least he had a decent excuse.

 

Even with a few days of neglect under their belts, the flowers were still beautiful in the dying light of the day. The sunset filtered through the glass roof and set the blooms ablaze. It cast a golden glow about the space, reflecting even off the stone marker he’d placed next to the duck pond two years before. This had always been her favorite place in the palace, after all, and she had loved that duck pond. It only seemed fitting to lay her to rest there.

 

Still. He’d rather her on the bench beside him. He’d always thought she’d outlive him, and when the opposite proved true he had expected to follow not long after. It would work out that he’d still be kicking two years after the fact. He couldn’t really complain, but as it was he’d had a long life. He’d had a good life. His daughter was advancing in years, and his grandson was preparing to take the throne. In his mind, he’d outlived his time. He was superfluous to the kingdom, and the only thing that had kept him around was Yucie. And now, with her gone…

 

“It’s just not the same without you, Forehead,” he said, chuckling as he tossed a bread cube at a duckling. It quacked at him and gobbled up its treat, and his smile softened. “You just had to go and leave me behind. And now it’s not the same.”

 

He could practically hear her, chiding him for being so petty, but he couldn’t help the truth. It was just one of those days, with the drooping blossoms and a melancholy mood. He pushed himself off the bench and sat on the grass above her grave, groaning slightly as his joints protested the movement. He’d have a hell of a time getting up, but he didn’t really care at that point. The frown firmly fixed on his lips, he reached out and traced her carved name with his fingers.

 

“I miss you, Yucie,” he whispered. If he closed his eyes, he could just remember what it felt like to be held by her. He could just recall the feel of her arms around him, the way she’d press her face into his shoulder and lean against his back. Just. But it wasn’t the same.

 

**Touched**

Maggie had been concerned about her father for a while now. He just hadn’t been the same since her mother had died. He still tried, but he had lost his old fire. Most times she honestly believed it was the former queen that had kept him going, and once she was gone it was almost like he’d lost his reason to continue trying.

 

Recently, he’d taken to spending most of his time in the Sunset Garden. He left the running of the kingdom to Franklin and her, and they’d taken to delegating most of the tasks to the crown prince and his wife, who would be stepping in as ruling monarchs in a few months’ time. Her father considered his time over, and in a way she could see where he was right. The notion didn’t hurt any less, though, with that acknowledgment. He was still her papa, no matter how old she got, and she hated to see him so…despondent.

 

Usually he stayed in the garden until nightfall, but he would join them in the library before retiring for the evening. That night, though, he had not made an appearance. She hadn’t been too concerned, considering there had been a stomach bug going around, but when the seneschal had reported the king hadn’t been seen for quite some time a niggling of doubt had crept into her mind. She had excused herself and made her way to the Sunset Garden, dismissing Franklin’s worry and her own with a passive wave of her hand.

 

She called for her father as she opened the door, but there was no response. The garden was dark, but a quick flick from the wand by the door set the torches blazing. As the garden was illuminated, a scream caught in the queen’s throat and her hands flew to cover her mouth.

 

Her father was lying by her mother’s tombstone, his back leaning against the stone and his hands folded in his lap. A peaceful smile was on his face, his white bangs covering his closed eyes. A wary feeling clenched her gut as she approached and knelt beside him, and a quick check confirmed her suspicion. Her father had finally passed.

 

“About time, old man,” she quipped, her hand lingering momentarily on his cheek. It was the first time she’d seen him so peaceful in a long while, and she had missed that calm smile. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t seen it since her mother had passed. Her hand and gaze drifted to her mother’s stone, and a small, sad smile curled her lips.

 

“He’s been a bit lost without you, you know. I feel I should be sadder right now, but…rest now. Rest well,” she said, and she brought her fingers to her lips and laid a kiss on her mother’s tombstone before she kissed her father’s cooled cheek.

 

She moved from the grave, breathing unsteadily as she made her way to the door of the garden. She paused and looked back, lingering just a moment. Her smile softened as she whispered, “Rest well.”

 

**_Love, no one cares about the stories they’re not in._ **

**_We’ll fade out to whispers…_ **

“The Last Days Of Summer In San Francisco” – Matt Nathanson


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